SCOTLAND

Departmental Legal Costs

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much his Department and its predecessor paid in (a) damages, (b) claimant costs and (c) defendant costs in respect of all civil claims brought against his Department in which the claimant was successful or the Department settled in each of the last three years.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office has paid no moneys in respect of damages, claimant costs or defendant costs in any of the last three years.

Departmental Vacancies

Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what the staff vacancy rate was for his Department in 2010-11; and what vacancy rate has been assumed in his Department’s budget for 2011-12.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office keeps its staffing complement under constant review to ensure that the most efficient use is made of public resources.
	The staff vacancy rate for 2010-11 was 2.5%. We project that a similar rate will apply for 2011-12.

CHURCH COMMISSIONERS

Churches: Rural Areas

Anne McIntosh: To ask the hon. Member for Banbury, representing the Church Commissioners, what representations the Church Commissioners have received on the role of churches in rural communities; and if he will make a statement.

Tony Baldry: Churches play an important and often essential role in rural community life. As well as organising church-based activities and events, members of rural congregations take part in a wide range of other non-church community organisations, events and activities, contributing their time and skills to groups that help deliver the big society in rural places.
	A 2006 study carried out by the university of Coventry, “Faith in Rural Communities: contributions of social capital to community vibrancy”, looked at six different rural settlements and several different church denominations. It found that in several of the places studied church members made such a significant contribution to non-church activities and events that in many cases the community would cease to effectively function without their activities. Other research reports that explore the contribution of rural churches to rural community life include: “Faith in the Community—the contribution of faith-based organisations to rural voluntary action” (NCVO, 2007) and “Building Better Neighbourhoods—the contribution of faith communities to Oxfordshire Life” (university of Coventry, 2010).
	Informal networks and relationships are among the most important contributions that rural church congregations make to rural community life. As well as offering regular opportunities for collective worship and prayer, rural church congregations can give care and support to those suffering isolation and loneliness. Church buildings often act as places where barriers are broken down between different social groups and people have the opportunity to meet together on equal terms, and provide spaces in which events, activities and meetings can take place. Though not all rural churches are suitable for the purpose, some already run formally constituted projects or initiatives, such as pre-schools, youth clubs or facilities for older residents. In some places the church building has been adapted to house specific services such as a Sure Start centre, post office, a community owned shop or library.

Clergy: Ethnic Groups

John Robertson: To ask the hon. Member for Banbury, representing the Church Commissioners, how many vicars of the Church of England from black and minority ethnic backgrounds there were in each year since 2000.

Tony Baldry: The Church of England undertook the first comprehensive clergy survey in 2005 to measure diversity.
	This revealed that 2.2% of Anglican Church of England Clergy self-identified with black or minority ethnic backgrounds.
	An ongoing process of monitoring and data collection will enable a 2010 diversity estimate to be published at the meeting of the General Synod in York this July.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Independent Panel on Forestry: Internet

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  when the Independent Panel on Forestry will publish its meeting dates on her Department's website; and if she will ensure that the panel's meeting dates are published on that website in advance of them taking place;
	(2)  what guidance or advice she or her officials have provided to the Forestry Panel in respect of the information it should publish following its meetings.

James Paice: holding answer 4 May 2011
	The next three meeting dates for the Independent Panel on Forestry are on the DEFRA website. Further details of how the panel will operate and how it will gather views and information will be published on the website soon.
	The intention in setting up the panel was to provide an independent review of the issues involved. There is a wide spread of interest in the panel’s work and that makes it particularly important for the panel to engage people and to be open in its work but, ultimately how the panel achieves that will be its decision.

Water

Thomas Docherty: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her policy is on allowing non-household customers in England and Wales to choose their water and wastewater retailer without the setting of a threshold regime.

Richard Benyon: Currently non-household customers that use 50 megalitres or more of water a year can switch their water supplier under the water supply licensing regime (WSL). The same customers in the areas of water companies wholly or mainly in England can also replace their local water and sewerage company under the inset regime. In the areas of water companies wholly or mainly in Wales the inset eligibility threshold is 250 megalitres.
	The Government intend to lower the 50 megalitre threshold to 5 megalitres for England as soon as we can. The Water White Paper, due to be published in the autumn, will consider recommendations made by Professor Cave in his independent review of competition and innovation in water markets to extend competition in the sector. These included extending the WSL regime to cover sewerage services and the removal of the WSL threshold altogether to extend choice to-all non-household customers.
	Decisions on extending competition to non-household customers in the areas of water companies based wholly or mainly in Wales is a matter for the Welsh Assembly Government.

Water

Thomas Docherty: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what consultations she has carried out on whether to abolish the retail threshold for non-household customers in England and Wales.

Richard Benyon: The Government will consider the case for removing the retail threshold in the Water White Paper which is due to be published in the autumn. In developing policy for the Water White Paper we will consult a wide range of stakeholders, including water companies, new entrants, regulators and customers.

Water

Thomas Docherty: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether she has estimated the number of (a) businesses and (b) public sector organisations in England and Wales who would experience a reduction in their water bills as a result of the introduction of non-household water and waste water competition.

Richard Benyon: The Government have not conducted any research on the types of customers that may benefit from lower bills should competition be extended to all non-household customers in England and Wales.
	However, if the UK and Welsh Assembly Governments were to remove the current eligibility threshold from legislation there would be approximately 1.2 million customers eligible to switch suppliers. Some 1.1 million customers would be eligible if the threshold was only lowered in the areas of water companies wholly or mainly in England.

Water

Thomas Docherty: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether her Department has assessed the potential effects on water use efficiency arising from the introduction of non-household water and waste water competition in England and Wales.

Richard Benyon: The Water White Paper, due to be published in the autumn, will consider various effects of extending competition in the water sector in England and Wales, including the possible consequences on water use efficiency.

Water: Scotland

Thomas Docherty: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether her Department (a) has conducted research and (b) plans to commission research on the effects on water use efficiency of the introduction of non-household water and waste water competition in Scotland.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA has not commissioned any research into the water competition regime operating in Scotland and has no plans to do so in the foreseeable future.
	The Water White Paper, due to be published in the autumn, will consider the recommendations made by Professor Martin Cave in his independent review of competition and innovation in water markets to extend competition in the water sector in England and Wales. Professor Cave's recommendations would make the retail regime for water supply similar to that currently operating in Scotland. We will take account of new evidence on benefits for customers and water efficiency that has been published by the Water Industry Commissioner for Scotland and others since Professor Cave produced his report as we develop our policy for the Water White Paper.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Carbon Reduction Commitment Energy Efficiency Scheme

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will bring forward proposals to reduce the costs of the Carbon Reduction Commitment Energy Efficiency Scheme.

Gregory Barker: The Government are committed to simplifying the CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme in order to reduce the burden on participants while maintaining the incentives on participants to implement cost effective energy efficiency measures.
	An amendment order containing the first tranche of amendments to the CRC came into force on 1 April 2011. Further proposals will be brought forward this year following consideration of simplification suggestions we have received from participants to date.
	The cost of CRC allowances to cover participants’ 2011-12 energy use was set in Budget 2011 at £12. Draft regulations to implement allowance sales will be published later in 2011.

Energy: Billing

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether energy companies which take payments from customers by direct debit are required to return credit balances to customers at certain times of the year; and if he will make a statement.

Charles Hendry: Ofgem is responsible for regulating gas and electricity supply, including customer payments. Gas and electricity suppliers customarily review individual customers' direct debit arrangements annually. The payments are adjusted in the light of the customer's energy use over the previous 12 months and any changes in energy prices in order to avoid excess credit balances. Generally any credit built up over the summer will be used to offset the customer's higher consumption expected during the winter.
	Suppliers set their own level of credit a customer must hold before a refund is offered automatically but customers may review their gas and electricity accounts and discuss the level of payments with their supplier at any time, and may request a manual credit refund based on a meter reading.

Energy: Housing

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the adequacy of finance available to householders through the Green Deal to support a whole house approach to energy efficiency.

Gregory Barker: We remain confident that commercial finance will be available to support the Green Deal and are working closely with the financial sector to ensure that the regulatory framework allows for the provision of finance at the lowest possible cost.
	The legislation which provides the regulatory framework for the Green Deal will come into force in late 2012 subject to parliamentary approval. The provider market for the Green Deal is still emerging and with it demand for finance. We are aware that the finance community is showing strong interest in the opportunities created by the Green Deal and that there are a number of potential Green Deal providers currently in discussion with their banks regarding financing.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Arts

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of the level of philanthropic giving to the arts in each of the (a) last four years and (b) next four years.

Jeremy Hunt: According to Arts and Business' annual survey of private investment in culture, over the last four years individual giving to culture, including the arts, is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Financial year £ million 
			 2006-07 298.4 
			 2007-08 382.1 
			 2008-09 363.1 
			 2009-10 359.3 
		
	
	Given the complexity of issues which affect levels of philanthropic giving, from macroeconomic factors to the individual motivations and circumstances of donors, I would not be inclined to forecast figures for the next four years. By reforming the nation's economy, creating economic stability and sustainable growth, the Government will help to create the conditions in which philanthropy can flourish.
	My Department and Arts Council England are investing £80 million in a match-funding programme which will raise at least an equivalent amount from private donors. The match funding scheme is one of a suite of tools being developed to help build the skills and potential of arts organisations to increase levels of private giving. This is intended to contribute to the long-term financial resilience of the sector, and help support sustained cultural excellence.
	Furthermore, in this year's Budget the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced a package of measures which will boost philanthropic giving in the arts and represent the most radical and most generous reforms to charitable giving for more than 20 years.

Creative Industries Council

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what the name is of (a) the chair and (b) each member of the Creative Industries Council.

Jeremy Hunt: The Creative Industries Council will be jointly chaired by the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills and myself.
	Membership of the Council will include business and trade association representatives of each of the sub-sectors included in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) definition of creative industries. The full list of members has not yet been finalised, and will inevitably evolve over time. However, the names of those invited to the first Council meeting on 6 July 2011 will be published in due course.

Creative Industries Council

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport on what date the first meeting of the Creative Industries Council is to take place.

Jeremy Hunt: The Creative Industries Council will meet officially for the first time on 6 July 2011.

Departmental Responsibilities

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what the cost to the public purse was of the recent transfer of responsibilities from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

Jeremy Hunt: The cost of the transfer of responsibilities from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has been limited to some essential spend on IT equipment, data transfer, accommodation and move costs, and totals around £170,000. These relate to DCMS costs alone.

Departmental Work Experience

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many interns his Department employs.

Jeremy Hunt: holding answer 3 May 2011
	My Department is not employing any interns at this time.

Fashion: Media Portrayal

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport whether his Department has assessed the effect on levels of (a) bulimia and (b) anorexia nervosa of the portrayal of models in the fashion and beauty industry.

Paul Burstow: I have been asked to reply.
	No such assessment has been made. However, concern has been voiced about the impact of media portrayal of thin models. The Government keep these matters under review and the Department for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport remains in regular touch with the principal regulatory bodies in the media whose responsibility it is to ensure that matters of serious public concern continue to be addressed by their codes.

Film: Industry

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport which organisation will be responsible for (a) ensuring diversity and inclusion within the film industry, (b) leading on copyright exceptions, orphan works, ownership of film rights, distribution and intellectual property within the film industry and (c) leading the UK's film industry export strategy following the closure of the UK Film Council; and what funding has been allocated for each such function during the comprehensive spending review period.

Jeremy Hunt: The information is as follows:
	(a) The British Film Institute (BFI), which has a long and proud track-record of commitment to diversity.
	(b) Policy regarding aspects of copyright such as orphan works, copyright exceptions and the licensing framework is dealt with by the Intellectual Property Office (IPO), under Baroness Wilcox, Minister for Intellectual Property.
	(c) BFI will lead the export strategy, in partnership with Film London and with support from BAFTA and BBC Worldwide to build on existing capacities and connections to explore showcasing and promoting British films outside the UK.
	In the recent spending review we have protected the BFI (which has been cut by 15%) as well as key activities that will transfer to the BFI and Film London. As outlined previously, the key elements of support for the UK film industry are maintained—the tax relief, which is worth about £100 million per year and the share of lottery proceeds which will increase from the current £27 million a year to £43 million by 2014. A film policy review later this year will look at priorities for spending public money going forward.

Museums and Galleries

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport if he will put in place arrangements to assess the potential effects of reductions in local government, regional development agency and higher education expenditure on admission charges to local and regional museums; and if he will publish each assessment.

Jeremy Hunt: holding answer 4 May 2011
	The Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) monitors the overall effects of changes in local government, regional development agency and higher education funding to local and regional museums, particularly the effects of funding changes on the museums funded through the Government's Renaissance in the Regions programme. There are no plans to put mechanisms in place to monitor the specific impact of changes in these funding streams on the price of admission to local and regional museums.

Private Healthcare

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport whether any officials in his Department have private health care funded as part of their employment terms and conditions.

Jeremy Hunt: There are no officials in my Department that have private health care funded as part of their employment terms and conditions.

Rugby: World Cup

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what financial support his Department is providing to support the hosting of the 2013 Rugby League World Cup.

Jeremy Hunt: The Minister for Sport and the Olympics met with the executive chairman and chief executive of the Rugby Football League on 7 April to discuss the 2013 World Cup. We are keeping the funding situation under review pending the decision by the North West Development Agency which is due by the end of May.

WOMEN AND EQUALITIES

New Businesses

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what plans she has for future support for women wishing to start new businesses.

Lynne Featherstone: The Government are committed to increasing the number of women and men setting up businesses and are taking wide ranging action to support them in doing so. For example, the New Enterprise Allowance will provide mentors and financial support to help the unemployed become self-employed. We also want to reduce the red tape that too many small businesses say holds them back, so we have set up a new website, The Red Tape Challenge, so that people affected by these regulations can tell us what works, what should be improved and what should be removed.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Departmental Buildings

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the (a) name and (b) address is of each building owned by his Department; and what the estimated monetary value is of each such building.

Owen Paterson: The information is as follows:
	(a) Hillsborough Castle and Estate;
	(b) The Square,
	Hillsborough,
	Co Down,
	Northern Ireland
	BT26 6AG.
	The asset value published in the 2009-10 Financial Statements as at 31 March 2010 was £59,963,000.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan: Libya

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many pilots previously assigned as instructors are flying combat missions in Afghanistan and Libya for each aircraft type.

Nick Harvey: Each flying squadron has at least one qualified flying instructor permanently assigned to check and maintain standards of frontline aircrew; these aircrew routinely deploy with their squadron on operations. Since operations began in Libya, one Tornado GR4, two Typhoon and two E-3D flying instructors have been assigned to squadrons in support of operations. One Sentinel and two VC-10 flying instructors are also currently assigned to support both Libyan and Afghanistan operations.

Armed Forces: Pay

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he plans to change the levels of specialist payments to the Special Air Service and other special forces personnel.

Andrew Robathan: Pay for the armed forces is recommended by the independent Armed Forces' Pay Review Body (AFPRB) who during 2010-11 conducted a quinquennial review of special forces remuneration. Due to the public sector pay freeze the AFPRB did not recommend increases to the rates of basic pay for special forces, but it did recommend enhancements to specialist pay levels paid to the Special Reconnaissance Regiment and niche capability groups working in support of special forces. All these recommendations were accepted and introduced from 1 April 2011. In addition, we have asked the AFPRB to undertake a fundamental review of all aspects of specialist pay for its 2012 report to ensure it remains an appropriate selective mechanism to aid recruitment and retention.

Armed Forces: Pay

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will estimate the average reduction in income for service personnel as a result of reductions to military allowances; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Robathan: No. The purpose of allowances is to reimburse service personnel for justifiable expenditure incurred either when on duty or as a result of the unique nature of service life, rather than to supplement income. The current financial position has placed pressure on the level of allowances that are affordable. While there will be some reductions and changes, appropriate allowances will continue in the future. Operational allowances are not affected by these changes. We accept that changes to the allowances package will be unpopular and that some of them may require adjustments to lifestyle, but they are a necessary part of the Department's contribution to the overall Government's programme to reduce the UK deficit we inherited. Nevertheless, we have concentrated on ensuring, where possible, that no group is disproportionately affected by any changes, and have sought to mitigate effects by phasing in some changes by up to two years. The Service Chiefs of Staff and their Principal Personnel Officers have been fully engaged in this process.
	Individuals who believe they will be placed in financial difficulty by the changes have been directed to inform their Chain of Command.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much funding he has allocated under each budget heading to his Department's science and technology budget for 2011-12.

Peter Luff: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 15 March 2011, Official Report, columns 214-15W.
	Following the conclusion of Planning Round 11, we are finalising detailed budget allocations. However, the Ministry of Defence's science and technology budget is expected to rise in cash terms over the spending review period.

RFA Fort Victoria

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) projected and (b) actual cost of reactivating RFA Fort Victoria was following the period of extended readiness.

Andrew Robathan: RFA Fort Victoria was placed in extended readiness from April 2007 to March 2009, immediately after which she underwent a refit period to prepare her for re-entering the active fleet. The cost of this refit period was projected to be £20.3 million in 2009, while the final cost was £22.8 million.

Service Complaints Commissioner

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department has made an assessment of the recommendations of the Annual Report 2010 by the Service Complaints Commissioner for the Armed Forces.

Andrew Robathan: We are grateful to the Service Complaints Commissioner for her continuing work in this area. We are currently considering the Service Complaints Commissioner's report and will place a copy of our response in the Library of the House in due course.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Electoral Register

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what recent estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of introducing individual voter registration.

Mark Harper: A total of £99 million was allocated at the spending review last year to meet the cost of implementing individual electoral registration, including £85 million resource and £14 million capital funding the vast majority of which is to fund registration officers to make contact with each potential elector individually and invite them to register in 2014. Following the conclusion of the data-matching pilot schemes at the end of this year, a decision will be taken on whether to fund the roll-out of data-matching across Great Britain.
	The cost of implementing individual registration in this Parliament represents a saving to the taxpayer of an estimated £74.5 million to £77.8 million. This cost reflects the Government’s decision not to proceed with the previous Government’s plans to introduce individual registration on a voluntary basis in parallel to the existing system.

Referendums: Republic of Ireland

John Mann: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what reciprocal referendum voting rights exist for citizens of the UK and the Republic of Ireland; and when he last discussed such rights with his Irish counterpart.

Mark Harper: The question of who is entitled to vote in any particular referendum in the UK will be considered and determined in the light of the subject matter. The franchise for each referendum is commonly set out in the primary legislation which establishes that a referendum is to be held. The franchise for referendums in the Republic of Ireland is a matter for Irish law.
	The Deputy Prime Minister has not discussed the matter of reciprocal referendum voting rights with either the former or current Tanaiste.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

First-time Buyers

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps the Government plans to take to provide assistance for those purchasing a home for the first time in the next 12 months.

Grant Shapps: The Government are committed to supporting those who aspire to own their own home. I refer my hon. Friend to the answers I gave on 4 April 2011, Official Report, column 738, to my hon. Friend the Member for Battersea (Jane Ellison) and on 4 April 2011, Official Report, columns 729-30, to my hon. Friend the Member for Aberconwy (Guto Bebb) and my right hon. Friend the Member for Bermondsey and Old Southwark (Simon Hughes),
	Since the announcement of the FirstBuy scheme in the Budget, the Homes and Communities Agency has invited house builders, who will co-fund the scheme, to bring forward offers by 19 May, with the aim of assisting over 10,000 first-time buyers in the next two years.

Homelessness

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps he plans to take to reduce the incidence of homelessness.

Grant Shapps: This Government are committed to tackling homelessness and supporting the vulnerable. We have protected homelessness prevention grant funding, with £400 million over the spending review period. For 2011-12, we have announced allocations of £81.5 million for local authorities and £18.5 million for the voluntary sector to support their work to tackle and prevent homelessness.
	We have made an additional £190 million available for discretionary housing payments and other forms of practical support alongside the Government’s package of welfare reform measures.
	And we are working closely with the National Homelessness Advisory Service to ensure front-line advice workers have the support they need to tackle homelessness effectively.
	We have also established a cross-government working group on homelessness bringing together Ministers from eight Government Departments to address the complex causes of homelessness and rough sleeping. The Ministerial Working Group will publish a report before the summer recess. A new approach to evaluating rough sleeping levels has been introduced so that there is clear information in all areas, to inform service provision and action to address the problem.

CABINET OFFICE

Civil Service Internship Pilot Scheme

Luciana Berger: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many places will be available on the Civil Service internship pilot scheme at (a) undergraduate level, (b) college level and (c) secondary school level.

Francis Maude: At undergraduate level, there will be 75 internship places available in 2011, via the Fast Stream Summer Diversity Internship Programme. The Civil Service Whitehall Internship Scheme pilot will also offer 60 places at college level and 120 places at secondary school level.

Civil Service Internship Pilot Scheme

Luciana Berger: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office which schools and colleges have been approached to participate in the Civil Service internship pilot scheme; and what the criteria were for their selection.

Francis Maude: Schools for the pilot programme are being selected through liaison with the Department for Education (DFE). The criteria that have been used to identify the schools are:
	Percentage pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals is higher than the national average; or
	Percentage ethnic minority pupils is higher than the national average.
	Six schools are being identified to participate in the college level scheme and 10 schools for the secondary school scheme. It is expected that the names of the schools and colleges which will be participating will be available by the end of May.

Contracts: ICT

Alun Michael: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what steps he is taking to (a) simplify and (b) increase the transparency of the procedure for ICT firms tendering for public sector contracts.

Francis Maude: The Government committed, in their ICT Strategy published in March, to act as a single customer, move away from large ICT projects by breaking down and simplifying requirements, and increase standardisation and modularisation of business processes and supporting technologies:
	www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/content/government-ict-strategy
	At the same time we are engaged on an implementation to apply a much streamlined approach to the procurement of a number of pathfinder projects (one of which is for ICT), based on the findings of a Lean review published in February. We are tackling pre-qualification burdens by seeking to eliminate pre-qualification questionnaires for lower-value procurements and by moving to much greater use of the open procedure, which does not have a separate selection-to-bid stage early in the process, for higher-value procurements.
	Departments have been required to publish all new ICT tender documents over £10,000 since last summer and we recently launched Contracts Finder to publish additionally procurement opportunities and awarded contracts.

Contracts: Small Businesses

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many Government procurement contracts were awarded to small and medium-sized enterprises in (a) 2005, (b) 2007 and (c) 2010.

Francis Maude: The Government are committed to publishing statistics showing progress towards their aspiration that 25% of their procurement expenditure should go to SMEs, and all Departments now have business plan commitments to publish their percentage of expenditure with SMEs.
	We do not hold data on the number of contracts with SMEs. However, since January 2011, Departments have been required to publish details of all new contracts over £10,000 including the identity of the contractor and whether it is an SME on the Contracts Finder website:
	www.contractsfinder.businesslink.gov.uk/
	Some limited data on the value of Government spend with SMEs are included in the Operational Efficiency Programme Benchmarking Report for April 2009 to May 2010:
	http://data.gov.uk/dataset/oep-benchmarking-data-2009-10
	Baseline data on the value of Government procurement contracts awarded to SMEs in 2009-10 are currently being collected and will be published once they are available.
	Data are not held centrally for the periods 2004-05 or 2006-07.

Departmental Air Travel

John Mann: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  what flights he has taken on Government business since 8 May 2010;
	(2)  when he last flew overseas on Government business.

Francis Maude: Information about Ministers' travel overseas is published on a quarterly basis. Information for the period 13 May to 31 December 2010 can be accessed at:
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/ministerial-gifts-hospitality-travel-and-meetings-external-organisations
	Information for the period 1 January-31 March 2011 is currently being compiled and will be published in due course.

Departmental Buildings

Luciana Berger: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the (a) name and (b) address is of each building owned by his Department; and what the estimated monetary value is of each such building.

Francis Maude: Information on the addresses and value of buildings owned by the Cabinet Office was published in the Department's Annual Resource Accounts 2009-10 (HC282), laid before Parliament in July 2010.

Departmental Work Experience

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what advice his Department provides to those wishing to (a) work as an intern, (b) undertake a work experience placement and (c) work as a volunteer in his Department.

Francis Maude: We offer a minimum of three summer diversity internships for under graduates with full information available at:
	www.civilservice.gov.uk/faststream
	and a graduate internship scheme for students which is advertised through the Graduate Talent Pool hosted on the BIS Government website.
	Individuals looking to undertake a work experience placement are invited to complete a pro forma to identify why they are interested in a placement in the Cabinet Office and what skills they are looking to gain through the placement.
	The Cabinet Office does not offer opportunities to volunteer in the Department.

Departmental Work Experience

John Mann: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many students from (a) the UK and (b) Bassetlaw constituency have been offered internships in his Department since 8 May 2010.

Francis Maude: Since 8 May 2010, the Cabinet Office has offered four summer internships for undergraduate students. All four were from the UK and none were from the Bassetlaw constituency.

Environment Protection

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what work his Department's behavioural insight team has (a) undertaken and (b) plans to undertake on energy and climate-related matters.

Francis Maude: The behavioural insights team is working with DECC on a range of measures to encourage individuals to introduce energy efficiency improvements, principally in domestic settings. The work is ongoing.

Departmental Correspondence

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether his Department issues guidance to Government Departments on the use of Miss, Mrs and Ms in correspondence.

Francis Maude: There is no Cabinet Office guidance to Departments on this matter.

Departmenal Procurement

John McDonnell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what recent guidance his Department has issued on assessing the ethical implications of (a) domestic and (b) overseas contracts held by companies bidding for public sector contracts.

Francis Maude: The Cabinet Office has not issued guidance on assessing the ethical implications of domestic or overseas contracts.
	Within the overall objective of achieving the best value for money through public procurement, Government Departments will assess certain issues concerning a potential supplier's probity when selecting prospective suppliers to bid. In this regard, the Cabinet Office has issued guidance on the following matters:
	The Public Contracts Regulations (2006) include a mandatory requirement for contracting authorities to exclude economic operators from public contracts where they have been convicted of certain criminal offences including participating in criminal organisations, money laundering and fraud;
	Potential bidders may also be excluded from participating in the tender process on certain grounds at the discretion of the contracting authority. These grounds include circumstances where they have been convicted of an offence concerning professional misconduct; or been found guilty of grave professional misconduct proven by any means that the contracting authority can demonstrate.
	Departments may also take into account other issues, such as labour standards, where these are relevant and proportionate to the requirement.

Supermarkets

Alison McGovern: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether he has had any meetings since September 2010 with representatives of (a) Tesco, (b) Sainsbury's, (c) Asda, (d) Morrisons and (e) trade associations of which these companies are members.

Francis Maude: Information about Ministers' meetings with external organisations is published on a quarterly basis. Information for the period 13 May to 31 December 2010 can be accessed at:
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/ministerial-gifts-hospitality-travel-and-meetings-external-organisations
	Information for the period 1 January to 31 March 2011 is currently being compiled will be published in due course.

TRANSPORT

West Coast InterCity Franchise

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what criteria he plans to use to award the West Coast InterCity rail franchise for 2012 to 2026; and if he will make a statement.

Theresa Villiers: The public consultation on the InterCity West Coast franchise ended on 21 April and the Department is currently considering all responses. The criteria for awarding the franchise will be published in the Invitation to Tender document.

Departmental Travel

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many of his ministerial team have been issued with (a) an Oyster card and (b) a (i) monthly and (ii) annual travel card valid on London Transport and paid for by his Department for use while travelling on Government business.

Norman Baker: All Ministers at the Department for Transport have the use of a pay-as-you-go Oyster card for travel on Government business. None of the Ministers has been issued with a monthly or annual travel card valid on London Transport and paid for by the Department.
	Section 10 of the Ministerial Code provides guidance on travel for Ministers and makes clear that Ministers must ensure that they always make efficient and cost-effective travel arrangements.

Great Western Railway

Duncan Hames: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the seated passenger capacity is of direct services between Chippenham and London Paddington using existing rolling stock; and what estimate he has made of the likely seated passenger capaCity on such services using the proposed InterCity Express Programme fleet from 2016.

Theresa Villiers: The passenger capacity of existing rolling stock operating direct services between Chippenham and London Paddington is 514 seats per train. The future likely seated passenger capacity on the same services using the InterCity Express Programme fleet would be around the same, although with the proposed doubling in train frequencies between London and Bristol, more of these seats could be available to Chippenham passengers.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what consideration was given to the effect of the introduction of universal access to nearly free high definition video links over the internet on the number of business meetings conducted over the internet in the projected business passenger numbers for HS2.

Philip Hammond: The demand forecasts for HS2 were developed in line with Department for Transport guidance and using industry and Government-standard models. These are regularly revised in the light of updated information on demand growth, which would itself reflect the effects of improvements in video conferencing and other communications technologies.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether HS2 will use (a) 400 and (b) 200 metre long trains; and what estimate has been made of the energy consumption of such trains.

Philip Hammond: HS2 Ltd’s specification for the proposed Y-shaped national high speed rail network assumes that the network would be built to be capable of carrying 400 m long trains. Both high speed and classic-compatible rolling stock sets are assumed to be 200 m long, with flexibility to join two sets together to form a 400 m train.
	Information on the energy consumption of HS2 rolling stock is available in the information note published by HS2 Ltd at:
	http://www.hs2.org.uk/publications/HS2-Traction-Energy-Modelling-49802

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Steven Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he has taken to budget for the remedial and restoration works following the completion of construction of the High Speed Two line.

Philip Hammond: Allowances for remedial and restoration works have been included in the cost estimates set out in Table 7 of the “Economic Case for HS2”.

M1: Repairs and Maintenance

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the effect on his Department's budget of repairs required to the M1 following the recent fire.

Michael Penning: That section of the M1 is under a managed contract agreement with Connect Plus. The contract indicates that there is a repair and insurance responsibility to the contractor, and no costs will be borne by the Department for Transport.

Railways: Franchises

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has for the reform of rail franchising; and if he will make a statement.

Philip Hammond: The Government published the ‘Reforming rail franchising response to consultation and policy statement’ on 19 January 2011. In it, we set out, among other things, our commitment to longer franchises, less prescriptive service requirements and the transfer of stations to train operators. The Department is now considering within this framework the detailed Invitation to Tender (ITT) for the Intercity West Coast franchise.

Roads: Repairs and Maintenance

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to assist local authorities to repair potholes.

Norman Baker: We wrote to all local highway authorities on 24 March 2011 informing them of their share of an additional £200 million which we have made available for repairing damage to their road network following the severe winter weather at end of last year. The funding was paid to authorities on 28 March 2011.

Rolling Stock

Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent assessment he has made of the relationship between high speed train speeds, energy consumption and safety.

Philip Hammond: Detailed information on rolling stock energy consumption is available on HS2 Ltd's website. Our proposals for high speed rail are based on internationally accepted standards of safety—the European Technical Standards of Interoperability (“TSIs”). These include a number of safety requirements, such as crashworthiness and train protection measures.

Thameslink Railway Line

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent assessment he has made of the need for new train maintenance depots to support the Thameslink programme.

Theresa Villiers: holding answer 3 May 2011
	My officials have assessed the new train maintenance requirements and concluded that it is a necessary to construct two new depots to support the Thameslink Programme—one in North London at Hornsey in the borough of Haringey and one south of London at Three Bridges in the borough of Crawley.

Thameslink Railway Line

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether Ministers or officials in his Department have held discussions with (a) Network Rail and (b) local authorities on the location of new train maintenance depots to support the Thameslink programme.

Theresa Villiers: holding answer 3 May 2011
	My officials have had a number of discussions with Network Rail and London borough of Haringey and Crawley borough council regarding the additional train maintenance depots for the new Thameslink rolling stock.

Thameslink Railway Line

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment has been made of the potential effect on (a) direct and (b) indirect employment of the construction of new train maintenance depots to support the Thameslink programme.

Theresa Villiers: holding answer 3 May 2011
	The bidders in the competition to build the new trains and two new depots have indicated that there could be in the region of 450 people employed at the two new depots. However, the exact details will not be known until the contract is awarded later this year.

Thameslink Railway Line

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 7 April 2010, Official Report, column 1364W, on the Thameslink railway line: rolling stock, when he expects to announce a decision on the location of additional train maintenance depots for new Thameslink trains.

Theresa Villiers: holding answer 3 May 2011
	The Department for Transport is planning to establish two new depots to support the new fleet of Thameslink trains at Hornsey in the London borough of Haringey and at Three Bridges in the borough of Crawley. Network Rail has commenced the process for securing planning consents for these depots with the relevant local authorities and it would be inappropriate to comment on the outcome of these applications at this time.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Burma: Guided Weapons

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on possession by the military authorities in Burma of SCUD or similar missiles; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: We are aware of reports alleging that the Government of Burma is attempting to build medium-range missiles under its memorandum of understanding with North Korea. The Government take all such allegations seriously and remind all states to adhere to their obligations under relevant UN sanctions. We will continue to monitor the situation very closely.

Burma: Homicide

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will take steps with his international counterparts to ensure that the alleged actions of Than Naing Lwin of the Burma army in respect of the extrajudicial execution of Saw Par Ta are investigated and that those responsible are held accountable; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: The Government are concerned by reports of an alleged attack on a Karen ethnic minority villager by the Burmese army. On the renewal of EU sanctions at the Foreign Affairs Council on 12 April 2011, EU Foreign Ministers called on the Burmese Government to end impunity for violations of human rights and to co-operate fully with the UN. The Government secured strongly worded human rights resolutions at the UN General Assembly in October 2010 and at the Human Rights Council in March 2011 which called for the Burmese authorities to end abuses against ethnic groups and to honour their commitment to undertake a full, impartial and independent investigation into all human rights violations.

Burma: Thailand

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received of repatriation of Burmese refugees in camps on the border with Thailand; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: The Government have not received any recent reports that suggest Burmese refugees in camps along the Thai-Burma border have been repatriated. Our ambassador to Thailand raised concerns over allegations of forced repatriation with the governor of Tak province and the Royal Thai army on 17 January 2011. Our ambassador reinforced our concerns when he saw the Thai Foreign Minister on 19 January 2011. He raised the issue again with Thai officials on 31 March 2011. On each occasion the Thai authorities assured us that no refugees will be repatriated to Burma until it is safe for them to return. We remain in close contact with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), international donors and the Thai authorities, and continue to monitor the situation closely.

Cyprus: Military Bases

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has any plans to commission a flag or standard for the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia.

David Lidington: The Sovereign Base Areas are military bases on the island of Cyprus and are administered by the Ministry of Defence. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has no plans to commission a flag or standard for the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia.

Democratic Republic of Congo: Elections

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what support and advice his Department offered to the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo in respect of their forthcoming election.

Henry Bellingham: We continue to urge the authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to ensure that presidential and national elections due to take place on 28 November 2011 are held in a timely, and transparent manner, and that the opposition can campaign freely. Free and fair elections would strengthen DRC's fragile post-conflict institutions and underpin democracy.
	Our support to the elections is aimed primarily at ensuring that everyone has the right to vote, and encouraging as wide a participation as possible. Our support is focused on the following areas:
	voter registration;
	building the capacity of the new electoral commission;
	improving public understanding of the electoral process, particularly among women and first-time voters;
	helping the Congolese police to keep the peace before, during and after elections;
	promoting open debate in advance of elections through support for independent Congolese media;
	and funding Congolese civil society organisations working on elections-related issues through our Civil Society Fund.

Departmental Equality

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs who is responsible for diversity issues within his Department.

Henry Bellingham: The Permanent Under-Secretary at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office is responsible for the management of staff within the Department, including diversity issues.

Departmental Official Hospitality

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department has spent on hospitality since January 2011.

David Lidington: holding answer 3 May 2011
	Figures for 2010-11 are not yet finalised owing to our end of financial year accounts work and reconciliations.
	All expenditure is incurred in accordance with the principles of Managing Public Money and HM Treasury handbook on Regularity and Propriety.

Departmental Travel

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on what date (a) he and (b) each other Minister in his Department last travelled by (i) London Underground and (ii) public bus services on government business; how many times (A) he and (B) each other Minister in his Department has travelled by each such form of transport on government business since May 2010; and if he will make a statement.

David Lidington: Ministers travel according to the needs of security, economy and practicality. Modes of transport are not recorded centrally.
	Section 10 of the Ministerial Code provides guidance on travel for Ministers and makes clear that Ministers must ensure that they always make efficient and cost-effective travel arrangements.

Departmental Travel

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many of his ministerial team have been issued with (a) an Oyster card and (b) a (i) monthly and (ii) annual travel card valid on London Transport and paid for by his Department for use while travelling on government business.

David Lidington: None.

Departmental Travel

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department has spent on ministerial travel by (a) ministerial car, (b) train, (c) bus, (d) commercial aircraft and (e) private aircraft since May 2010.

David Lidington: I refer the hon. Member to the Quarterly returns by Ministers as published on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website at:
	http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/publications-and-documents/transparency-and-data1/hospitality
	Additional information on travel is not held centrally and is available only at disproportionate cost. Section 10 of the Ministerial Code provides guidance on travel for Ministers and makes clear that Ministers must ensure that they always make efficient and cost-effective travel arrangements.

Departmental Work Experience

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what advice his Department provides to those wishing to (a) work as an intern, (b) undertake a work experience placement and (c) work as a volunteer in his Department.

Henry Bellingham: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) regularly receives enquiries for paid and unpaid work experience.
	Those wishing to work as an intern or undertake work experience at the FCO are advised that the FCO offers a number of work experience opportunities designed to attract a talented and diverse pool of candidates. These opportunities are as follows:
	the generalist work experience schemes that we currently offer are geared towards university undergraduates, whilst trying to target those students who may not normally consider a career in the FCO. This includes female students, those from an ethnic minority background or those who are in receipt of a full maintenance grant. People from these backgrounds are currently under-represented in the FCO;
	the specific specialist subject work experience is offered to students from all backgrounds that study specific specialist subjects including economics and legal librarians.
	Whilst we are currently offering work experience only to certain categories of people, we are fully committed to the principles of fair and open competition for permanent recruitment into the FCO.
	Those wishing to work as an intern or undertake work experience at the FCO are directed to our website for further information on our schemes and employment opportunities:
	www.fco.gov.uk/careers

Embassies: Theft

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information his Department holds on the number of items with a monetary value (a) greater and (b) less than £100 that have been taken without authorisation from UK embassies since May 2010.

David Lidington: holding answer 3 May 2011
	The information required is held separately in various Foreign and Commonwealth Office departments, all of which hold records relating to various losses and thefts of both personal property and official furnishings, including information technology equipment losses. As this information is not held centrally, providing an accurate answer would incur disproportionate cost.

Sri Lanka: Politics and Government

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of action by the government of Sri Lanka to establish a domestic accountability process.

Alistair Burt: We have encouraged the Government of Sri Lanka to ensure that its ‘Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission’ (LLRC) established in May last year produces recommendations that address past allegations and allow all communities in Sri Lanka to live and work together in peace and security. We have made clear our concerns about the LLRC process. We expect the LLRC to produce its final report on 15 May 2011. While we cannot predict the report's conclusions, the interim recommendations were useful and we hope the Government of Sri Lanka will use the LLRC it as an opportunity to promote national reconciliation.

Sri Lanka: War Crimes

Heidi Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the investigations into war crimes allegations conducted by the Government of Sri Lanka.

Alistair Burt: The Government of Sri Lanka established a ‘Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission’ (LLRC) in May 2011 last year to look at conflict issues during the period 2002 to May 2009. We expect the LLRC to produce its final report on 15 May 2011. We have made clear our desire for an independent and credible inquiry into allegations of war crimes. We have also expressed our concerns about the LLRC process. While we cannot predict the outcome of the LLRC report, we have urged the Government of Sri Lanka to use it as an opportunity to promote national reconciliation.

Syria: Politics and Government

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on Iran's involvement in recent political developments in Syria.

Alistair Burt: We are concerned by reports that Iran may be providing equipment and support to the Syrian Government to help them quell protests in Syria. Any such support is unacceptable. It would be a further example of Iran's monumental hypocrisy in claiming to support freedom in the Arab world, while violently suppressing demonstrations at home and helping to quell protests in Syria. As elsewhere in the region, protestors in Syria must be allowed the right to protest peacefully.

Syria: Politics and Government

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the practice of Syrian military forces dressing in civilian clothing.

Alistair Burt: We are aware there have been reports of Syrian military forces dressing in civilian clothing.
	As the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs said in a statement on 26 April 2011, Official  Report, columns 33-41, we condemn utterly the violence perpetrated by the Syrian security forces against civilians who are expressing their views in peaceful protests. We are deeply concerned by the deployment of security forces against peaceful protesters in Deraa, Douma and coastal areas. As the Prime Minister said on 3 May 2011, this violent repression is disgraceful and unacceptable. We are clear that individuals responsible for the violence will be held accountable if the violence persists.

Yemen: Politics and Government

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his (a) EU and (b) Arab League counterparts on the future of President Ali Abdullah Saleh of Yemen.

Alistair Burt: The focus of the Government are in encouraging the ruling party and the official Opposition in Yemen to reach an agreement on a peaceful transition. It is for the people of Yemen to determine their future. We recognise the urgency with which a political settlement in Yemen must be reached to avoid further violence and a deepening economic crisis. To this end we have actively engaged our international partners, including the EU, to encourage unified and strong messaging to the Government of Yemen and the parliamentary Opposition.
	I welcome the support given by Baroness Ashton, the High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the Commission. In light of reports that both the ruling party and the opposition agreed to the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) transition plan, she issued a declaration urging all parties to move quickly to finalise the plan. Our officials have been working intensively alongside EU missions in Sana'a and European capitals to garner support for the latest initiative. Individual member states, including Italy, France, the Netherlands and Germany, have issued their own messages in support of faster progress to overcome Yemen's political impasse. We will continue to liaise with our EU counterparts to ensure further progress towards a democratic, peaceful and inclusive transitional process.
	I can confirm I have discussed with the Arab League the challenges facing Yemen in the wider context of the Arab spring in the middle east. I welcome the statement issued by the Arab League in April in support of the GCC initiative to reach a peaceful solution to the crisis in Yemen.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Departmental Travel

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much his Department has spent on ministerial travel by (a) ministerial car, (b) train, (c) bus, (d) commercial aircraft and (e) private aircraft since May 2010.

Edward Davey: Travel undertaken by the Department’s Ministers is in line with the Ministerial Code—Section 10 which provides guidance on travel for Ministers and makes it clear that Ministers must ensure that they always make efficient and cost-effective travel arrangements.
	The costs for Minsters' travel between May 2010 and February 2011 are as follows:
	(a) Ministerial cars—£287,842.74—this includes £209,888.25 paid for the period May 2010 to 1 September 2011 for previously contracted cars, including a 90 day cancellation period.
	(b) Train—£26,006.13
	(c) Bus—information not held
	(d) Flights—£37,09194
	All overseas travel by Ministers is published on a quarterly basis at:
	http://www.bis.gov.uk/transparency/staff

EU Grants and Loans

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 8 February 2011, Official Report, column 210W, on EU grants and loans, how many of the (a) successful and (b) unsuccessful bids received for the first round of the Regional Growth Fund in each region sought to use European Regional Development Fund monies as match-funding.

Mark Prisk: There were 464 bids to the Regional Growth Fund (RGF), of these 66 mentioned bids for European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) funding in their application, some of this was confirmed and some unconfirmed. One bid—Manchester Eye Hospital—was successful.
	Officials in this Department and in the ERDF teams have worked closely together to align, where practical, the respective funds’ bidding processes. Most ERDF programmes will be managing a simultaneous call for proposals to compliment the timing of the RGF’s second round, with the aim of encouraging applicants to maximise the available public resource. Applicants seeking to access ERDF will however need to comply with the application process and the ERDF specific project selection criteria.

EU Grants and Loans

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will take steps to ensure that a larger number of bids using European Regional Development Fund match-funding are successful in the second round of the Regional Growth Fund than were successful in the first round.

Mark Prisk: Success in obtaining grants from the Regional Growth Fund will be dependent on the quality of the bids, which need to demonstrate how they deliver sustainable private sector jobs and help places currently reliant upon the public sector make the transition to sustainable private sector led growth.

Export Control Licences

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what mechanism his Department has put in place to ensure that export control licences are not granted in circumstances where the equipment to be sold could be used to (a) suppress democratic expression and (b) abuse human rights;
	(2)  what tests are applied to export control licence applications to ensure that (a) democratic freedoms and (b) human rights will not be jeopardised by granting such an application.

Mark Prisk: All UK export licence applications are rigorously assessed on a case by case basis against the Consolidated European Union (EU) and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria. We will not issue any licences if to do so would be inconsistent with the criteria. Our assessment includes consideration of how an end-user is likely to use the proposed export, the circumstances in which it might be used, and whether it could exacerbate conflict or otherwise contravene the criteria.
	Criterion two relates to ‘the respect of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the country of final destination’. Having assessed the recipient country's attitude towards relevant principles established by international human rights instruments, we will ‘not issue an export licence if there is a clear risk that the proposed export might be used for internal repression’.

Flexible Working

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the benefits to (a) businesses and (b) Government of extending flexible working to parents of children under 18-years-old.

Edward Davey: In 2006 the Department for Trade and Industry undertook a major study of work-life balance among British workplaces with five or more employees. The Third Work-Life Balance (WLB3) Employer Survey was designed to collect data on awareness, provision, take-up and demand in relation to work-life balance arrangements and on employers' perceptions of positive benefits and detrimental impacts arising from the provision of these arrangements.
	The survey asked respondents about the effect flexible working practices had on employees and human resource management at their establishment. For each of six criteria, employers were asked whether they thought flexible working and leave arrangements had a positive, negative or no effect. Details are shown in a chart which will be placed in the Library of the House.
	Over half of workplaces felt that flexible working had had a positive effect on employee relations and motivation and commitment at the workplace. Just over 40% felt the effect on recruitment, labour turnover and productivity had been positive while 38% perceived a positive effect on absenteeism.
	The 3rd Worklife Balance Survey surveyed both public and private sector organisation; however no specific assessment has been made of the benefits of flexible working on the Government.
	The coalition Government have committed to extend the right to request flexible working to all employees and we will launch a consultation on this commitment shortly.

Hallmarking

Michael Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what discussions he held with the jewellery sector of the retail industry in (a) Scotland and (b) elsewhere in the UK before issuing his consultation under the Red Tape Challenge on the future of regulation of hallmarking of gold and silver articles in the UK;
	(2)  what consultation he held with the Assay Office in Scotland before issuing his consultation under the Red Tape Challenge in respect of regulation of hallmarking of gold and silver articles.

Mark Prisk: The Red Tape Challenge aims to take a comprehensive approach, looking widely at regulation, whether introduced through primary or secondary legislation or other means. It seeks views on where regulations are working well, as well as where they are imposing unnecessary burdens on businesses, members of the public or voluntary organisations or restricting personal freedoms. BIS Ministers regularly meet with representatives from external organisations. This information is publically available at:
	http://www.bis.gov.uk/transparency/staff

Hallmarking

Michael Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he has considered the merits of licensing jewellery retailers in place of the hallmarking of gold and silver articles in the UK.

David Willetts: There are no plans to replace the current regime of hallmarking in the UK. The British Hallmarking Council and the hallmarking regime were reviewed in 2010 and it was decided that both should be retained. However, hallmarking legislation is among the 21,000 regulations included in the Red Tape Challenge on which the Cabinet Office has invited views.

Regulation

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the inclusion of wildlife protection measures within the scope of the Red Tape Challenge; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change on the inclusion of climate change amelioration regulations in the scope of the Red Tape Challenge; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what discussions he has had with (a) the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change and (b) the Secretary of State for Defence on the inclusion of climate change in the definition of national security used for the Red Tape Challenge; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: The Red Tape Challenge aims to take a comprehensive approach, looking widely at regulation, whether introduced through primary or secondary legislation or other means. It seeks views on where regulations are working well, as well as where they are imposing unnecessary burdens on businesses, members of the public or voluntary organisations or restricting personal freedoms. As well as collective ministerial agreement, BIS Ministers regularly meet with ministerial colleagues from other Departments to discuss matters of mutual interest, including the regulatory agenda.

Regulation

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions he had with representatives of equalities organisations, prior to the publication of Red Tape Challenge, on the inclusion of the Equals in the Challenge; what assessment he has made of the ability of people facing (a) inequality and (b) discrimination to contribute to the Red Tape Challenge; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: The Red Tape Challenge aims to take a comprehensive approach, looking widely at regulation, whether introduced through primary or secondary legislation or other means. It seeks views on where regulations are working well, as well as where they are imposing unnecessary burdens on businesses, members of the public or voluntary organisations or restricting personal freedoms. We have taken into consideration the duty to have due regard to the need to eliminate unlawful discrimination, advance equality of opportunity for all and foster good relations. The website makes clear that the presence of a particular piece of legislation, such as the Equality Act 2010, on the website should not be read as implying any intention on the part of the Government to remove that regulation. We are committed to making this website accessible to all users, regardless of circumstances. The Accessibility Statement is available here:
	http://www.redtapechallenge.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/accessibility-statement/
	Those who are unable or who would prefer not to comment on the website are invited to submit their comments via the e-mail and postal address available on the website.

Regulation

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the costs to the public purse of implementation of the Red Tape Challenge; and what assessment he has made of its administrative implications.

Mark Prisk: In the Budget 2011 the Government committed to reviewing the stock of over 21,000 statutory instruments and regulations in order to reduce the burden on business, members of the public and voluntary organisations. The Red Tape Challenge was launched on 7 April 2011 and is scheduled to last until April 2013. As such, it is too early to estimate the costs and benefits of the Red Tape Challenge website.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Africa: Water

Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much funding he plans to allocate to supporting water and sanitation in Africa in each year to 2013-14.

Andrew Mitchell: Globally, the Department for International Development (DFID) has committed to give 15 million people access to clean drinking water; improve access to sanitation for 25 million people; improve hygiene for 15 million to help stop people getting sick. On average, over 70% of these results will be achieved in Africa.
	Details of the results DFID has committed to achieve vary by country and will be published in each operational plan. These will be made available on the DFID website:
	www.dfid.gov.uk

British Overseas Territories: Aid

Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate he has made of per capita expenditure on UK bilateral aid in the British Overseas Territories in the last year for which figures are available.

Andrew Mitchell: Details of expenditure in the last year for which figures are available (2009-10), in the British Overseas Territories, are published in ‘Statistics for International Development’ which is available on the DFID website:
	www.dfid.gov.uk
	and in the Library of the House. Expenditure per capita is detailed in the following table:
	
		
			 Territory Per capita (£) 
			 St Helena (Includes Tristan da Cunha) 5,021 
			 Montserrat 4,153 
			 Pitcairn Islands 33,148 
			 Turks and Caicos Islands 259 
		
	
	Under the UN Charter the UK is obliged to promote the well-being of the inhabitants of the Overseas Territories. The Overseas Territories are a first call on the aid budget, as stipulated in the 2002 International Development Act.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of his Department's budget he expects to be spent on direct budgetary support in 2011-12.

Andrew Mitchell: The final levels of budget support for 2011-12 are not yet determined.

Developing Countries: Food

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  what funding relating to his Department's commitment to agriculture and food security made at the G8 L'Aquila summit has been disbursed in the (a) agriculture, (b) food aid, (c) rural development, (d) safety nets and (e) nutrition sector to date; and what proportion of the funds each sector represents;
	(2)  what funding relating to his Department's commitment to agriculture and food security made at the G8 L'Aquila summit is planned for disbursement to the (a) agriculture, (b) food aid, (c) rural development, (d) safety nets and (e) nutrition sector; and what proportion of the funds in each sector this represents.

Andrew Mitchell: In the last year for which figures are available (2009-10), the Department for International Development (DFID) disbursed approximately one third of its total pledge of £1.1 billion for global food security and agriculture. Spend on the areas you specifically requested is given as follows.
	
		
			 Budget heading Spend (£ million) Percentage of total pledge 
			 Agriculture, Agro-industries, Forestry and Fishing 116.1 11 
			 Rural Development projects 51.5 5 
			 Development Food Aid and Food Security Assistance 26.4 2.4 
			 Safety nets n/a n/a 
			 Nutrition n/a n/a 
			 Contribution through multilateral channels 123 7 
		
	
	Data for 2010-11 are not yet available although the effect of ministerial decisions is to secure a similar level and pattern of disbursement as in 2009-10. I have agreed plans which mean that the remaining funds to be disbursed in 2011-12 will focus on agriculture research; programmes implemented by relevant multilateral agencies such as the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD); and through some of DFID's bilateral country programmes. DFID country teams are currently working on the detail of their operational plans which, where relevant, will include levels of intended spending on food security.

Developing Countries: Health

Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much funding he plans to allocate to health services and systems over the comprehensive spending review period.

Andrew Mitchell: Detailed information on health expenditure by country programme over the comprehensive spending review period will be set out in operational plans for each DFID country office. Some operational plans are already available in the DFID website
	www.dfid.gov.uk
	and others will be published shortly. Additional allocations will also be made through multilateral channels contingent on sustained performance and results over the period.

Mozambique: Water

Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development with reference to his Department’s bilateral aid review, what estimate he has made of the cost of providing more than 500,000 poor people with access to clean water in Mozambique.

Andrew Mitchell: In the context of the Bilateral Aid Review, the Department for International Development (DFID) estimates it will cost an average of £19 per person in rural areas to provide access to clean water in Mozambique. As such, the cost to provide 500,000 people with access to clean water was calculated at £9.6 million.
	Detailed information will be set out in operational plans for each DFID country office, and published on the DFID website:
	www.dfid.gov.uk

Nigeria: Schools

Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development with reference to his Department’s bilateral aid review, what estimate he has made of the cost of supporting 800,000 children in school in Nigeria.

Andrew Mitchell: In the context of the Bilateral Aid Review, the Department for International Development (DFID) estimates it will cost an average of £60 per child to ensure an additional 800,000 children attend school in Nigeria by 2015. As such, the overall cost will be approximately £50 million. DFID Nigeria is currently designing a new education programme, and is in the process of analysing how best to get more children into school.
	Detailed information will be set out in operational plans for each DFID country office, and published on the DFID website:
	www.dfid.gov.uk

Somalia: Employment

Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development with reference to his Department’s bilateral aid review, what steps he plans to take to help get 45,000 people into jobs in Somalia.

Andrew Mitchell: Working with UN agencies, the World Bank and other development partners, the Department for International Development (DFID) has initiated a four-year sustainable employment and economic development programme. The programme aims to improve economic and employment prospects, helping 45,000 women and young men in communities affected by conflict in Somalia to secure reliable long-term jobs.
	Detailed information will be set out in operational plans for each DFID country office, and published on the DFID website:
	www.dfid.gov.uk

Trade Unions: Finance

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether he has any plans to give UK-based trade unions public funds from the aid budget during the comprehensive spending review period.

Andrew Mitchell: Details of our existing commitments to trade unions during the comprehensive spending review (CSR) period are available in the Library of the House.
	Trade unions are eligible to apply for civil society funding during the CSR period, such as through the Global Poverty Action Fund (GPAF), in competition with other civil society organisations. Any decision to offer funding will be based on the quality of proposals submitted. We expect all proposals to demonstrate value for money in delivering real benefits for poor people while contributing to DFID's wider development goals.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Action for Employment

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many jobseekers he estimates found work through services offered by A4E in each of the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Chris Grayling: The number of jobs reported by Action for Employment (A4E) for each of the last 12 months for DWP Contracted Employment Provision:
	
		
			  Number 
			 April 2010 1,990 
			 May 2010 1,893 
			 June 2010 2,094 
			 July 2010 2,695 
			 August 2010 2,194 
			 September 2010 2,114 
			 October 2010 2,530 
			 November 2010 1,979 
			 December 2010 2,572 
			 January 2011 2,554 
			 February 2011 1,780 
			 March 2011 1,367

Crisis Loans

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many applications were made for (a) crisis loans and (b) community care grants in each (i) Jobcentre Plus and (ii) local authority area in 2010; and what proportion of such applications was granted.

Steve Webb: The available information is as follows. Information on crisis loan and community care grant applications and awards cannot be provided for each Jobcentre Plus office or local authority area; the lowest geographical information we hold is Jobcentre Plus Social Fund Budget Area. Information for 2010 will not be available until the Secretary of State's Annual Report on the Social Fund is published later in the year so I have provided information for 2009-10.
	
		
			 Number of crisis loan applications received and proportion of those such applications which received an initial award in 2009-10 in Great Britain by Jobcentre Plus Social Fund budget area 
			 Jobcentre Plus Social Fund budget area by region Number of applications received Percentage of applications granted an initial award 
			 East of England   
			 Essex 80,800 77.25 
			 Norwich BDC 201,500 74.3 
			    
			 East Midlands   
			 East Midlands North 76,000 74.0 
			 South East Midlands 103,700 75.1 
			    
			 London   
			 Central and East London 88,000 67.8 
			 London South 147,900 69.2 
			 North and North East London 85,200 65.9 
			 West London 77,900 74.4 
			    
			 North East   
			 Northumbria 84,700 64.5 
			 South Tyne and Wear Valley 88,300 75.1 
			 Tees Valley 59,900 67.3 
			    
			 North West   
			 Chorlton BDC 449,400 75.6 
			 Greater Liverpool and Cheshire 227,100 76.7 
			    
			 Scotland   
			 Inverness BDC 175,400 78.2 
			 Springburn BDC 332,300 75.9 
			    
			 South East   
			 South East BOBS 131,500 73.6 
			 South East HIKYS 261,500 73.4 
			    
			 South West   
			 South West Central 152,200 74.9 
			    
			 Wales   
			 Llanelli BDC 71,600 77.4 
			 South East Wales 133,500 74.9 
			    
			 West Midlands   
			 West Midlands SF 355,200 71.3 
			    
			 Yorkshire and Humberside   
			 Yorkshire and Humberside Bradford 79,300 73.7 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside Sheffield 200,000 70.0 
			 Notes:  1. The information provided is management information. Our preference is to answer all parliamentary questions using official/national statistics but in this case we only have management information available. It is not quality assured to the same extent as official/national statistics and there are some issues with the data; for example, it does not include applications which were processed clerically and have not yet been entered on to the Social Fund computer system.  2. The number of applications received has been rounded to the nearest hundred.  3. The percentage of applications granted has been taken to mean the percentage of applications where an initial award was made.  Source:  DWP Policy, Budget and Management Information System 
		
	
	
		
			 Number of community care grant applications received and proportion of those such applications which received an initial award in 2009-10 in Great Britain by Jobcentre Plus Social Fund budget area 
			 Jobcentre Plus Social Fund budget area by region Number of applications received Percentage of applications granted an initial award 
			 East of England   
			 Essex 12,800 41.3 
			 Norwich BDC 27,400 36.0 
			    
			 East Midlands   
			 East Midlands North 18,100 41.9 
			 South East Midlands 22,400 45.8 
			    
			 London   
			 Central and East London 24,600 39.3 
			 London South 33,900 39.2 
			 North and North East London 18,400 38.1 
			 West London 14,100 39.5 
			    
			 North East   
			 Northumbria 15,000 47.4 
			 South Tyne and Wear Valley 14,500 38.8 
			 Tees Valley 13,200 42.0 
			    
			 North West   
			 Chorlton BDC 57,500 38.3 
			 Greater Liverpool and Cheshire 36,600 47.6 
			    
			 Scotland   
			 Inverness BDC 24,300 42.2 
			 Springburn BDC 59,300 43.9 
			    
			 South East   
			 South East BOBS 13,200 41.1 
			 South East HIKYS 31,900 43.7 
			    
			 South West   
			 South West Central 39,500 39.1 
			    
			 Wales   
			 Llanelli BDC 13,000 44.7 
			 South East Wales 27,400 40.3 
			    
			 West Midlands   
			 West Midlands SF 61,900 37.1 
			    
			 Yorkshire and Humberside   
			 Yorkshire and Humberside Bradford 16,000 40.1 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside Sheffield 44,900 43.3 
			 Notes:  1. The information provided is management information. Our preference is to answer all parliamentary questions using official/national statistics but in this case we only have management information available. It is not quality assured to the same extent as official/national statistics and there are some issues with the data; for example, it does not include applications which were processed clerically and have not yet been entered on to the Social Fund computer system.  2. The number of applications received has been rounded to the nearest hundred.  3. The percentage of applications granted has been taken to mean the percentage of applications where an initial award was made.  Source:  DWP Policy, Budget and Management Information System

Crisis Loans

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what the (a) number and (b) total value of applications for (i) budgeting loans and (ii) crisis loans that were (A) received and (B) awarded was in each branch of Jobcentre Plus in the last three years for which figures are available;
	(2)  what the (a) number and (b) total monetary value of applications for (i) Social Fund discretionary payments and (ii) community care grants (A) received and (B) awarded was in each branch of Jobcentre Plus in the last three years for which figures are available.

Steve Webb: We are unable to provide information at local Jobcentre Plus office level; data by social fund budget areas are available and have been placed in the Library.

Disability Living Allowance: Children

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  if he will estimate the average (a) rise for those better off and (b) fall for those worse off in income for households with a disabled child and a household income of (i) £10,000 to £15,000, (ii) £15,000 to £20,000, (iii) £20,000 to £25,000, (iv) £25,000 to £30,000, (v) £30,000 to £35,000, (vi) £35,000 to £40,000, (vii) £40,000 to £45,000, (viii) £45,000 to £50,000 and (ix) above £50,000 attributable to the withdrawal of the disability element of child tax credit and its replacement by provision under universal credit in (A) 2013-14, (B) 2014-15 and (C) 2015-16;
	(2)  how many households with a disabled child and a household income of (a) £10,000 to £15,000, (b) £15,000 to £20,000, (c) £20,000 to £25,000, (d) £25,000 to £30,000, (e) £30,000 to £35,000, (f) £35,000 to £40,000, (g) £40,000 to £45,000, (h) £45,000 to £50,000 and (i) above £50,000 will experience a (i) rise and (ii) fall in income attributable to the abolition of the disability element of child tax credit and its replacement by provision under universal credit in (A) 2013-14, (B) 2014-15 and (C) 2015-16.

Chris Grayling: Departmental modelling estimates that, once fully implemented, approximately 200,000 households with a disabled child will experience a rise in benefit entitlement of, on average, £23 per week as a result of universal credit and the integrated reform of disability benefits. Approximately 100,000 households with a disabled child will experience a reduction in entitlement of, on average, £28 per week, but these households will receive full cash protection against this change to ensure that there are no cash losers at the point of transition. Estimates on a year-by-year basis during the transition period are not available and sample sizes are too small to yield estimates by income bands.

Disability Living Allowance: Children

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many households with a disabled child will experience a (a) fall and (b) rise in income attributable to the withdrawal of the disability element of child tax credit and its replacement by provision under universal credit in (i) 2013-14, (ii) 2014-15 and (iii) 2015-16.

Chris Grayling: Departmental modelling estimates that, once fully implemented, approximately 200,000 households with a disabled child will experience a rise in benefit entitlement of, on average, £23 per week, as a result of universal credit and the integrated reform of disability benefits. Approximately 100,000 households with a disabled child will experience a reduction in entitlement of, on average, £28 per week, but these households will receive full cash protection against this change to ensure that there are no cash losers at the point of transition. Estimates on a year-by-year basis during the transition period are not available.

Housing Benefit

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effects of the proposed reductions in housing benefit for social tenants underoccupying their homes on overcrowding as measured by the space standards set out in the Housing Act 1985 if children aged under 16 years are required to share unsuitable bedrooms.

Steve Webb: The Department does not expect any household to have to move to nor to be offered accommodation, as a result of this measure, that would result in the space standards set out in section 326 of the Housing Act 1985 being breached.
	The movement of underoccupying households in the social rented sector to more appropriately-sized accommodation should improve the availability of larger properties. These vacated properties could then be used to help alleviate overcrowding in the social rented sector.

Housing Benefit: Newcastle Upon Tyne

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many single people aged between 25 and 34 are claiming the shared accommodation rate of housing benefit in the Newcastle upon Tyne local authority area.

Steve Webb: The Department published the ‘Two Year Review of the Local Housing Allowance’ in February 2011, which includes estimates of the current caseload proportions claiming the shared accommodation rate, in Figure 2.11. A copy of the document has been placed in the Library.
	The Department plans to publish an equality impact assessment for the shared accommodation rate changes within the next month, to accompany the draft regulations. This will contain estimates of the numbers of single housing benefit claimants between the ages of 25 and 34 who will be affected by these changes and of the number of claimants over 25 who are claiming the shared accommodation rate.

Institutional Investors

Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions he has had with Ministerial colleagues on the fiduciary obligations of institutional investors.

Steve Webb: Although DWP Ministers have not held any discussions with ministerial colleagues on institutional investors' fiduciary obligations, the Government believe it important that these obligations are fully understood. Officials from my Department have met officials from other Government Departments to discuss these issues and are considering a range of options.

Jobseeker’s Allowance

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what guidance his Department provides to jobcentres on informing jobseekers (a) that there is a prescribed list of good reasons for failing to attend or be on time for jobseeker interviews and (b) that jobseekers are required to have regard to this list; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Grayling: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive, Darra Singh. I have asked him to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	Letter from Darra Singh
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your Parliamentary Question about what guidance is provided to Jobcentres on informing jobseekers (a) that there is a prescribed list of good reasons for failing to attend or be on time for jobseeker interviews and (b) that jobseekers are required to have regard to this list. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	When advising customers of the requirement to attend jobseeker interviews, guidance to Jobcentre Plus staff is to issue a formal notification, which among other things:
	confirms the date, time, place and purpose of the interview;
	asks the customer to tell us as soon as possible if they cannot attend; and
	informs the customer their benefit may be stopped if they do not have good reason for failing to attend as required.
	The formal notification is usually issued in writing, but can be given verbally or by other means. Where the notification is issued in writing and this is handed to the customer, the appointment details and potential consequences of not attending as required are also explained verbally.
	I hope this information is helpful.

Jobseeker’s Allowance

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what allowance jobcentres make for genuine oversights in respect of non-attendance at jobseeker interviews; whether good character and previous history are taken into account; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what entitlement to benefit claimants have who fail to attend an interview due to an oversight but contact the jobcentre to rectify this within five working days; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Grayling: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive, Darra Singh. I have asked him to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	Letter from Darra Singh
	The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions has asked me to reply to your questions asking what allowance Jobcentres make for genuine oversights in respect of non-attendance at jobseeker interviews; whether good character and previous history are taken into account; and what entitlement to benefit claimants have who fail to attend an interview due to an oversight but contact the jobcentre to rectify this within five working days. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	Jobcentre Plus is responsible for ensuring customers remain eligible to receive Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA). Under section 8 of the Jobseekers Act (1995) and Regulation 27A of the Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations (1996), customers who fail to attend an interview will be asked to explain in writing the reason for the failure. Where it is immediately clear that there was good cause for not attending their interview (for example the customer was at a job interview, or was attending a hospital appointment) then payment of Jobseekers Allowance continues unaffected. An oversight, in itself, would not normally be considered to be good cause.
	More complex cases are referred to a specialist Decision Maker who considers whether or not the customer had good cause for failing to attend. Jobcentre Plus Decision Makers act on behalf of the Secretary of State to make decisions on entitlement to benefit, using Social Security Legislation and established case law. They consider all the individual circumstances of the case on their merits when determining whether or not there was good cause for failure to attend and whether a sanction is applicable.
	Where the Decision Maker determines that the customer did not have good cause then a benefit reduction is imposed. If a person in a vulnerable group has been sanctioned access to a hardship payment is immediately available.
	An individual’s previous failure to attend history is taken into account when determining the length of the benefit reduction. The Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations provide that failure to attend an interview attracts a fixed period sanction of 1 week on the first occasion, rising to 2 weeks for the second, and each subsequent occasion during the same jobseeking period.

National Insurance

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many national insurance numbers were issued to nationals of (a) other EU member states and (b) non-EU states in each month since January 1997.

Chris Grayling: The figures are not available monthly or prior to 2002. The information available is detailed in the following table:
	
		
			 National insurance numbers issued to adult non-UK EU nationals and adult non-EU nationals entering the UK  : Time Series—  January 2002   to  2010-  11  (1) 
			 Thousand 
			 Financial year of registration date European Union Non-EU Total 
			 January to March 2002 21.78 47.92 69.71 
			 2002-03 97.76 248.46 346.23 
			 2003-04 114.26 259.23 373.50 
			 2004-05 197.55 237.80 435.35 
			 2005-06 374.52 288.53 663.06 
			 2006-07 420.25 285.59 705.84 
			 2007-08 439.91 293.19 733.09 
			 2008-09 377.18 308.93 686.11 
			 2009-10 274.13 298.62 572.74 
			 2010-11 (not complete) 169.69 153.17 322.86 
			 (1) September 2010. Notes: 1. Time Series—Reporting periods are based on the financial year of registration (1 April to 31 March). Figures for the period 2010-11 are up to 30 September 2010 (latest figures available) 2. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10 and displayed in thousands. Some additional control has been applied. 3. Registration date is derived from the date at which the NINo is maintained on the National Insurance Recording and Pay As You Earn System. 4. World Area of Origin Based on a client's nationality. The mapping for ‘world areas’ are based on the present day. 5. The EU includes the A8 accession states which joined the EU in 2004 and the A2 accession states which joined the EU in 2007. 6. This information is available on the Department for Work and Pensions website at: http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/ Source: 100% extract from National Insurance Recording and Pay As You Earn System.

Pensions

Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proposals he has on the transfer of pre-1997 state earnings related pension schemes from a deceased pensioner to the surviving spouse.

Steve Webb: Following publication of ‘A state pension for the 21st century’ which launches a consultation on the future of the state pensions system, the Government are consulting on options for simplifying the state pension. Any reforms resulting from these proposals would apply to future pensioners only. The Government will be considering how supporting rules, such as inheritance rights to additional pension under the current scheme could be simplified in a way that ensures they are fairly recognised during the transition to a different system.

Pensions

Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what recent assessment his Department has made of the understanding by pension fund trustees of the long-term effects of environmental, social and governance issues on returns to their beneficiaries;
	(2)  whether he has considered the merits of bringing forward legislation to clarify the extent to which pension fund trustees may take ethical considerations into account in their investment decision-making;
	(3)  what assessment he has made of the effects on pension savers of changes in the rate of portfolio turnover.

Steve Webb: The Government take an active interest in fiduciary duty and ethical issues. My Department hosts a Trustee Panel which I regularly attend and which includes a representative from FairPensions which recently published a report on fiduciary obligation. Their representative attends in their capacity as a scheme trustee and is able to use the forum to highlight environmental, social and governance issues.
	In addition, following the call for evidence, ‘A Long-Term Focus for Corporate Britain’ the Government are considering a wide range of measures and will publish the next steps in the summer.

Pensions

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will assess the merits of using the US H.R. 798 Consumer Price Index for Elderly Consumers Act 2011 as the basis for (a) pension indexing and (b) the calculation of (i) pension credit and (ii) other benefits; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Webb: We are aware of this proposal currently being considered by the United States Congress. However, we take the view that using a single index for benefit and pension uprating is the fairest approach, and gives people clarity and consistency.

Social Fund

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will place in the Library a copy of each item of correspondence received by his Department from local authorities, local government associations and professional associations on the proposed devolution of the Social Fund to local councils.

Steve Webb: The Social Fund is not being devolved to local councils. The Welfare Reform Bill includes proposals to abolish the discretionary Social Fund. It will be replaced with a combination of locally designed and targeted assistance for the most vulnerable people in the community and a modernised and simplified national system of payments on account accessed through the benefit system.
	We recently held a call for evidence on how the local assistance might be designed and delivered in England. We will publish a summary and response document shortly. The contributions received were from a number of local authorities, the Local Government Association, other organisations and individuals. The contributions will be made available as part of this process.

Social Fund

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the change was in the proportion of (a) applications and (b) awards of (i) community care grants and (ii) crisis loans in each Jobcentre Plus area between (A) 2003 and 2007 and (B) 2007 and 2010.

Steve Webb: It is not possible to report back to 2003 on Jobcentre Plus region, budget area or region as subsequent boundary changes mean the data would not be comparable. Information for 2010 is not available until the Secretary of State's annual report on the Social Fund is published later this year. For this reason the figures for all of Great Britain have been provided for the information available:
	
		
			 Table 1: Social Fund applications received by year for Great Britain 
			  2003-04 2007-08 
			 Community Care Grant 589,300 543,400 
			 Crisis Loans 1,396,900 2,107,200 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2: Social Fund initial awards received by year for Great Britain 
			  2003-04 2007-08 
			 Community Care Grant 256,100 246,700 
			 Crisis Loans 1,059,100 1,431,100 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 3: Proportion of applications to awards each year in Great Britain 
			  2003-04 2007-08 
			 Community Care Grant 2.3 2.2 
			 Crisis Loans 1.3 1.5 
			 Notes: 1. The information provided is Management Information. Our preference is to answer all parliamentary questions using Official/National Statistics but in this case we only have Management Information available. It is not quality assured to the same extent as Official/National statistics and there are some issues with the data, for example they do not include applications which were processed clerically and have not yet been entered on to the Social Fund Computer System. 2. Figures are for applications received, not for the number of people who made an application, and for initial awards made, not the number of people who received an initial award. (Some people made more than one application or received more than one initial award.) 3. If an applicant receives an initial award and this award is increased on first review in the same month as the initial award was made, then the Policy, Budget and Management Information System (PBMIS) does not count the initial award and the review award separately, but counts one award on the one application. However, if a first review award is made in a later month than the initial award, then PBMIS counts two awards on the one application. Similarly, if an initial or first review award is increased by the Independent Review Service, then all awards made in the same month on one application count as one award. However, if an initial award or any review award(s) on one application are made in different months, then PBMIS will count one award for each month in which an initial or review award was made. Because of this counting method, only the numbers of initial awards have been given. 4. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 100 and figures may not sum due to rounding. Source: DWP Social Fund Policy, Budget and Management Information System

Social Security Benefits: Fraud

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department spent on advertising in respect of benefit fraud in each year since 2007.

Chris Grayling: The information requested is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Expenditure on advertising in respect of benefit fraud 
			  £ million 
			 2007-08 6.4 
			 2008-09 5.8 
			 2009-10 4.8 
			 2010-11 0.02 
			 Note: Includes media costs, PR, production and research costs. It excludes VAT. 
		
	
	The 2010-11 spend reflects the freeze on all new Government advertising and marketing spend which came into effect on 24 May 2010 as part of the Government’s plans to reduce expenditure to achieve £6.2 billion of net savings.

Social Security Benefits: York Outer

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in York Outer constituency received one or more out-of-work benefit payment in the last three years.

Chris Grayling: The constituency of York Outer was only formed for the May 2010 Westminster parliamentary elections. The only data available are for May and August 2010, with those for August being the latest available.
	
		
			  Number of claimants on out-of-work benefits 
			 May 3,180 
			 August 3,160 
		
	
	Out-work-of benefits are:
	JSA—claimants of jobseekers allowance
	ESA and incapacity benefits—claimants of incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance/employment and support allowance
	IS/PC—claimants of income support (and males age 60-64 claiming pension credit) that are not also claiming IB/SDA.
	Data are published at:
	https://www.nomisweb.co.uk

State Retirement Pensions: Age

Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what consideration his Department gave to the potential effects on women aged 56 in 2011 of implementation of proposals to increase the state pension age; and what steps he is taking to assist those who are in this age group.

Steve Webb: The state pension age for around three-quarters of the women reaching 56 in 2011 will increase by 12 months, with an increase of up to a year and three months for the remaining quarter.
	An assessment of the effect of the proposed changes on women born in 1955 is included in the impact assessment which accompanied the Government's White Paper ‘A sustainable State Pension: when the State Pension age will increase to 66’.
	We estimate that around 75% of women born in 1955 are currently still in employment. We are taking steps to ensure those who want to continue to work can do so and are able to save for retirement. For those not able to continue working, we will provide support through working age benefits.
	As social security is a devolved matter, decisions in relation to future pension and welfare reform in Northern Ireland are matters for the Executive and the Assembly. Accordingly, some of the data referred to above relate only to Great Britain.

Tattoos: Plastic Surgery

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what representations he has received on the provision of funding from the public purse for the removal of tattoos from benefit claimants.

Chris Grayling: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Darra Singh. I have asked him to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	Letter from Darra Singh
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your Parliamentary Question about what representations he has received on the provision of funding from the public purse for the removal of tattoos from benefit claimants. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	Specific details about this type of use of funding are not collated at a national level. Our Management Information would capture such a payment under the broad category of “other payments to remove barriers” but would not show the low level detail of tattoo removal.
	However, I am aware of a case in 2002, where a customer was allocated financial support to have tattoos removed. This was made possible as District Managers have the discretion to make funds available to provide additional support to help customers overcome things standing directly in the way of securing employment. This can be used where there are no alternative sources of funding. There is no automatic entitlement, but where an Adviser deems the removal of tattoos as necessary to facilitate the take-up of a specific job offer and the cost represents good value for taxpayer’s money, an award could be made. I envisage this only being in exceptional circumstances.

Taxation

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will publish a tax benefit model for 2011-12, including new assumptions on rent levels and council tax bills for each family type.

Steve Webb: On 17 November 2010, the April 2010 tax benefit model was published. Alongside this, a consultation paper was published which asked for views on stopping publication and instead publishing a one-off interactive version of the model which can be updated by users themselves.
	The consultation response document will be published in the summer.

Telephone Calls

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the (a) average speed of response to calls and (b) proportion of failed calls was in respect of each helpline operated by or on behalf of his Department and its predecessor in each year since 1997.

Chris Grayling: It is not possible to provide the data for all of the Department’s lines back to 1997. The Department’s previous telephony platform was not able to capture the information that the hon. Gentleman has requested. The Department has since moved to Internet Protocol Contact Centres (IPCC), which means that the data are now recorded. The different agencies within the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) rolled out to IPCC at different times, which is why some hold information for a longer period of time than others.
	The Department operates several service lines and help lines and these are spread across the agencies. The information is placed in the Library and is displayed by agency.

Unemployment: Young People

Jonathan Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of underlying trends in youth unemployment; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Grayling: The number of ILO unemployed 16 to 24-year-olds has risen by 39,000 over the last year, to 963,000. This largely reflects a rise in ILO unemployed young people in full-time education who are looking for work to fit around their studies or because their course is about to finish. The number not in full-time education and unemployed is 666,000, an increase of 2,000 on the year.
	Tackling the legacy of high unemployment left by the previous Government is a key priority for the coalition Government. Young people will benefit from the radical reform of the welfare system which will create a more flexible, personalised package of support to find work, including the Work programme. In addition, the 2011 Budget invested £200 million in support specifically targeted at young people which will include work experience; skills training; guaranteed interviews and progression into apprenticeships.

Unemployment: Young People

Jonathan Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the reasons for the change of the level of youth unemployment in the three months to February 2011; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Grayling: The number of ILO unemployed 16 to 24-year-olds in December to February 2011 rose by 12,000 compared to the previous quarter. This was made up of a 27,000 rise in the number of ILO unemployed full-time students, to 297,000, and a 15,000 fall in the number unemployed and not in full-time education to 666,000.
	Tackling the legacy of high unemployment left by the previous Government is a key priority for the coalition Government. Young people will benefit from the radical reform of the welfare system which will create a more flexible, personalised package of support to find work, including the Work programme. In addition, the 2011 Budget invested £200 million in support specifically targeted at young people which will include work experience; skills training; guaranteed interviews and progression into apprenticeships.

Universal Credit

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 5 April 2011, Official Report, column 750W, on universal credit, if he will estimate the cost to his Department of the transitional payments to families with annual incomes between (a) £16,000 and £20,000 and (b) £20,000 and £24,000, which will have a lower entitlement in each of the four years following the introduction of universal credit; and if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of such transitional payments if they are uprated by the consumer prices index.

Chris Grayling: The Government have made a commitment that there will be no cash losers purely as a result of the move to universal credit. At the point of change a comparison will be made between current amount received in tax credits and/or benefits and the household entitlement under universal credit. If the universal credit entitlement is less, and no other circumstances have changed, a cash amount will be paid in order to make up the difference.
	Details of this protection have yet to be fully worked out but we would expect future increases in universal credit entitlement to reduce the need for transitional protection. Estimates on a year-by-year basis during the transition period are not available.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what tenders he has issued for IT support for implementation of universal credit; what the date was of each such tender; what the deadline was for receipt of bids; and how many bids his Department received for each tender.

Chris Grayling: DWP has framework agreements in place with service providers for the provision of IT. Individual programmes are not tendered as to do so would cost an inordinate amount and add considerable time to the implementation of major change programmes. The existing frameworks for the provision of IT services have undergone a re-bid over the last 18 months through Official Journal of the European Union process and the outcome of that competition will be known imminently.

Universal Credit: Fylde

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will consider the merits of basing the administrative offices for the universal credit scheme in the Fylde Coast area.

Chris Grayling: We are currently examining the options for the delivery of universal credit and are looking carefully at how to deliver excellent customer service on a national level while delivering best value for money. This will take into account whether, how and where any central administration offices are developed.

Welfare State: Reform

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what appeal mechanisms he proposes in respect of the sanctions arrangements proposed in the Welfare Reform Bill.

Chris Grayling: After a sanction has been imposed, claimants will continue to have the ability to appeal to an independent First-tier Tribunal. A First-tier Tribunal may consist of between one and three members depending on the issues raised by the appeal. It is likely that an appeal against a sanction decision would be heard by a Tribunal Judge sitting alone who will review the evidence, make findings of fact and apply the law to those facts when deciding the appeal.

JUSTICE

Driving Offences

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many drivers were fined for an offence of not having valid motor insurance in each of the last 10 years.

Crispin Blunt: The number of persons fined at all courts for using a motor vehicle uninsured against third party risks, in England and Wales, from 2000 to 2009 (latest available) can be viewed in the table.
	Court proceedings data for 2010 are planned for publication on 26 May 2011.
	
		
			 Number of persons fined at all courts for using a motor vehicle uninsured against third party risks, England and Wales, 2000 to 2009  (1,2) 
			  2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008  (3) 2009 
			 Number of persons fined 154,132 150,430 161,499 188,017 200,588 184,365 179,825 161,424 137,554 125,556 
			 (1) The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) Excludes data for Cardiff magistrates court for April, July and August 2008. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services—Ministry of Justice

European Court of Human Rights

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what the outcome was of the Izmir Conference on the future of the European Court of Human Rights; if he will place in the Library a copy of each contribution he made at the conference on the future of the Court; what was agreed at the conference; and when he next expects to discuss the future of the Court with (a) ministerial colleagues and (b) his Council of Europe counterparts;
	(2)  what representations he made at the Izmir Conference on the future of the European Court of Human Rights in respect of restrictions on prisoner voting.

Kenneth Clarke: The conference adopted the Izmir Declaration, a copy of which I have placed in the Library. The Government welcome the declaration which, among other things:
	calls for a stricter approach by the European Court of Human Rights to its use of interim measures under rule 39 of the convention, with the Court intervening only exceptionally if cases have been considered by fair and effective national procedures;
	reinforces the importance of subsidiarity, the principle that the convention should be implemented primarily at national level;
	calls for further consideration of the Court's admissibility criteria; and
	calls also for continued reflection on the selection procedures for candidates for judges of the Court.
	In my statement to the conference, a copy of which I have also placed in the Library, I stressed particularly the importance of subsidiarity, and warned that the Strasbourg Court should not be too ready to substitute its own judgment for that of national parliaments and courts. I also drew attention in this context to the strength of feeling in the United Kingdom on implementing the Court's judgment on prisoners' voting rights, as demonstrated by the recent debates in Parliament; I reiterated this point in bilateral meetings with key figures from the Council of Europe including the Secretary General, the President of the Court and the Commissioner for Human Rights.
	Since returning, I have updated my ministerial colleagues on the outcome of the conference, and the Foreign Secretary and I shall continue to consult colleagues as we approach the start this November of the United Kingdom's chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers. My ministerial colleagues and I shall also continue to discuss the reform of the Strasbourg Court with counterparts from other Council of Europe countries when opportunities arise, also particularly with a view to our forthcoming chairmanship.

Legal Advice and Assistance: Members

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  if he will issue guidance to hon. Members on advising constituents seeking legal advice from their constituency Members; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  if he will make arrangements for staff in his Department to assist hon. Members with casework arising from reductions in the legal aid budget; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan Djanogly: I do not intend to issue any guidance, or make the arrangements suggested. Nor would I consider it appropriate to interfere with hon. Members' dealings with their constituency members.

Legal Advice and Assistance: Members

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will assess the effects on the number of people seeking assistance and advice from hon. Members of recent reductions in the legal aid budget; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan Djanogly: Both Impact Assessments (IAs) and Equality Impact Assessments (EIAs) were published alongside the consultation paper, and these outline the anticipated impacts of the reforms in the consultation paper. We will publish revised IAs and EIAs alongside the Government’s response to the consultation.

Legal Aid: Families

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much funding has been provided to (a) mothers and (b) fathers in legal aid for cases (i) in the family courts and (ii) involving the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service in each of the last five years.

Jonathan Djanogly: Information is not available in the form requested.
	The Legal Services Commission (LSC), which administers legal aid, is able to provide the costs paid in relation to care certificates issued for the period 2005-06 to 2009-10, and this is provided in the following table.
	Until October 2007 the LSC was unable to distinguish between costs incurred in care proceedings by parents from those with parental responsibility. The table reflects this change.
	
		
			 Spend on care certificates issued to parents and those with parental responsibility 
			 £ million 
			  Male Female 
			 2005-06 52 73 
			 2006-07 52 75 
			 2007-08 61 86 
			 2008-09 82 109 
			 2009-10 72 96

Legal Aid: Families

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much was spent on legal aid in cases relating to child access arrangements in each of the last five years.

Jonathan Djanogly: The Legal Services Commission is able to provide figures in cases that relate exclusively to contact in private law family proceedings, and these are included in the following table. Cases involving contact issues with other family matters have not been included as it is not possible to apportion costs in those cases between contact or other issues.
	
		
			 Spend on child contact cases including VAT 
			 Financial year Closed case spend (£) 
			 2005-06 32,555,833 
			 2006-07 35,900,709 
			 2007-08 40,270,875 
			 2008-09 50,461,181 
			 2009-10 51,930,794

Prisoners

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average population of each prison was in each of the last 10 years.

Crispin Blunt: Comparisons of the prison population over time are typically made using the figures for 30 June in each year, as the June figures are a good representation of the year, and reasonably unaffected by seasonal effects (such as bank holidays). The tables which have been placed in the Library show the population in each prison establishment in England and Wales as at 30 June in each of the last 10 years. Information on the prison population by establishment is published quarterly in the Offender Management Statistics quarterly bulletin on the Ministry of Justice website.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Prisons: Closures

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether he has taken any decisions on which prison establishments are to be closed in the future.

Crispin Blunt: The prison population is under review following the announcements made earlier in the year about Lancaster Castle, Ashwell and Morton Hall prisons. No decisions have been taken about the need for further reductions in capacity.

Prisons: Expenditure

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the direct resource expenditure in each (a) public sector and (b) private sector prison was in each of the last 10 years.

Crispin Blunt: The following table provides direct resource expenditure in each public and private sector prison for the years 2007-08 to 2009-10.
	Direct resource expenditure is the expenditure accounted for locally at each prison. It does not include expenditure met at regional or national level.
	Due to changes in accounting treatment over this period, the figures are not necessarily directly comparable. In particular, figures for public sector prisons for 2008-09 and 2009-10 are net of income from other Government Departments (mostly regarding health and education) whereas for 2007-08 they are gross.
	Resource expenditure 2010-11
	The accounts for 2010-11 are not yet finalised and therefore not available.
	Resource expenditure 2001-07
	Expenditure details for all public sector prisons for financial year 2001-02 to 2006-07 are in the public domain and are published in the Prison Service annual reports and accounts which are available in the House Library.
	
		
			 £ 
			 Establishment 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 
			 Albany 13,526,136 n/a n/a 
			 Dovegate(1) 26,134,475 27,863,070 32,448,310 
			 Garth 21,192,733 21,065,174 20,604,543 
			 Gartree 16,979,987 17,507,598 18,005,960 
			 Grendon and Springhill 15,209,260 15,398,101 15,059,951 
			 Kingston 6,146,317 6,169,756 6,154,941 
			 Lowdham Grange(1) 19,518,826 20,612,263 20,224,371 
			 Parkhurst 15,815,812 n/a n/a 
			 Rye Hill(1) 17,719,425 18,656,797 18,464,782 
			 Acklington 17,857,015 18,908,339 19,068,806 
			 Ashwell 10,808,654 12,097,063 10,780,794 
			 Blundeston 11,688,906 13,142,989 13,185,553 
			 Buckley Hall 9,441,511 9,687,783 9,398,478 
			 Bullwood Hall 7,060,113 6,973,684 7,054,113 
			 Camp Hill 12,707,521 n/a n/a 
			 Canterbury 7,755,168 7,680,457 7,549,122 
			 Channings Wood 16,349,599 15,775,812 15,813,666 
			 Coldingley 11,183,746 13,818,439 14,018,059 
			 Dartmoor 16,509,492 16,797,358 15,336,826 
			 Edmunds Hill 9,467,352 9,719,171 9,532,440 
			 Erlestoke 9,884,215 10,925,527 10,782,718 
			 Everthorpe 13,458,337 13,079,909 13,043,793 
			 Featherstone 14,237,272 14,409,44! 14,299,431 
			 Guys Marsh 11,721,426 11,809,841 12,187,978 
			 Haverigg 14,107,586 14,382,081 14,353,097 
			 Highpoint 15,061,463 17,360,461 18,374,576 
			 Kennet 10,908,924 12,769,566 11,745,116 
			 Lancaster 7,586,424 7,625,232 7,357,275 
			 Lindholme 21,967,008 21,081,944 21,100,924 
			 Littlehey 12,784,751 12,796,232 16,144,636 
			 Maidstone 12,523,602 11,811,858 12,092,965 
			 Moorland 21,408,222 20,891,766 20,999,891 
			 Mount 16,540,258 16,847,802 16,518,570 
			 Onley 16,292,380 16,932,913 17,490,925 
			 Ranby 20,842,382 22,003,871 21,782,913 
			 Risley 21,136,564 22,664,946 21,636,889 
			 Shepton Mallet 5,953,899 6,277,500 6,004,573 
			 Stafford 14,357,452 15,152,719 14,786,961 
			 Stocken 15,586,435 16,526,261 15,432,545 
			 Usk\Prescoed 8,601,344 8,808,016 7,538,953 
			 Verne 11,564,828 12,214,669 11,512,865 
			 Wayland 13,891,210 17,602,049 17,758,908 
			 Wealstun 17,420,612 16,654,128 16,978,252 
			 Wellingborough 13,553,917 13,864,232 13,460,515 
			 Whatton 18,019,779 18,694,212 18,217,997 
			 The Wolds(1) 10,875,627 11,912,975 9,342,246 
			 Wymott 22,717,339 24,114,563 24,106,269 
			 Bure n/a n/a 6,443,268 
			 Frankland 37,733,546 38,946,823 40,694,639 
			 Full Sutton 30,216,641 29,654,714 29,368,371 
			 Long Lartin 24,849,106 25,988,266 28,034,936 
			 Wakefield 29,870,096 29,369,107 29,341,355 
			 Whitemoor 31,283,541 31,369,667 31,579,262 
			 Bronzefield(1) 24,220,661 26,017,488 24,401,273 
			 Cookham Wood 7,860,927 7,915,362 8,935,386 
			 Downview 10,257,035 10,440,260 10,590,306 
			 Foston Hall 10,730,698 9,848,350 9,983,242 
			 Send 7,974,883 9,168,516 8,721,037 
			 Eastwood Park 11,798,232 10,566,776 11,181,553 
			 Holloway 25,158,207 21,349,208 21,358,878 
		
	
	
		
			 Low Newton 11,809,486 11,933,285 11,722,468 
			 New Hall 15,735,038 16,411,720 15,818,500 
			 Styal 15,520,894 15,150,734 15,296,944 
			 Askham Grange 3,503,679 3,638,796 3,622,748 
			 East Sutton Park 1,685,242 2,695,471 2,751,212 
			 Aylesbury 14,269,019 13,428,584 13,584,962 
			 Brinsford 16,541,974 16,818,021 16,256,727 
			 Castington 14,790,794 14,884,903 14,754,834 
			 Deerbolt 14,218,034 15,429,274 15,085,242 
			 Feltham 32,356,513 33,072,667 33,138,053 
			 Glen Parva 19,851,163 18,797,660 18,338,450 
			 Hindley 18,450,002 18,819,544 18,216,153 
			 Lancaster Farms 17,287,606 17,380,346 16,896,876 
			 Northallerton 5,744,712 5,842,196 5,742,075 
			 Portland 16,229,971 16,248,939 15,576,852 
			 Reading 9,135,143 9,426,097 9,016,129 
			 Rochester 11,251,885 14,827,179 17,550,300 
			 Stoke Heath 17,644,395 17,942,798 17,078,907 
			 Swinfen Hall 14,985,089 15,257,174 14,780,758 
			 Ashfield(1) 22,364,453 23,065,309 23,141,092 
			 Huntercombe 13,351,830 13,266,059 13,519,968 
			 Warren Hill 9,363,252 9,800,684 9,896,726 
			 Werrington 6,476,155 7,001,534 7,013,541 
			 Wetherby 12,070,724 14,564,398 15,283,617 
			 Altcourse(1) 42,035,519 46,755,009 46,438,070 
			 Bedford 11,414,560 11,922,584 11,890,253 
			 Belmarsh 42,910,643 42,162,623 39,859,998 
			 Birmingham 31,558,293 30,484,199 29,659,870 
			 Blakenhurst 20,147,043 n/a n/a 
			 Bristol 17,671,911 15,666,886 15,480,815 
			 Brixton 23,533,925 20,343,607 20,587,169 
			 Bullingdon 21,920,710 22,483,226 22,490,458 
			 Cardiff 15,844,316 16,724,714 16,189,470 
			 Chelmsford 20,201,242 17,503,321 17,654,734 
			 Doncaster(1) 27,798,107 29,159,167 23,496,327 
			 Dorchester 8,032,734 7,728,747 7,836,901 
			 Durham 23,070,280 23.107,960 23,035,128 
			 Exeter 13,978,989 12,926,888 13,135,508 
			 Forest Bank(1) 26,364,105 28,521,810 31,562,625 
			 Gloucester 9,289,063 9,113,564 9,222,434 
			 High Down 22,888,897 25,742,808 24,121,005 
			 Holme House 21,018,054 21,027,018 22,388,805 
			 Hull 21,924,872 22,182,372 21,723,433 
			 Leeds 25,576,011 24,176,491 24,321,857 
			 Leicester 9,465,812 9,591,913 9,440,244 
			 Lewes 14,380,997 17,790,440 16,313,366 
			 Lincoln 15,443,069 15,645,532 15,496,171 
			 Liverpool 27,928,917 26,853,605 26,051,023 
			 Manchester 35,302,427 34,296,488 35,300,991 
			 Norwich 16,568,823 15,828,794 16,563,142 
			 Nottingham 15,020,488 15,664,059 17,900,765 
			 Pare(1) 42,176,648 44,929,152 45,393,240 
			 Pentonville 30,152,281 27,441,799 31,337,256 
			 Preston 19,059,689 19,271,549 19,562,006 
			 Shrewsbury 8,475,939 8,775,263 8,672,656 
			 Swansea 9,814,723 9,845,978 9,212,630 
			 Wandsworth 33,041,873 34,966,394 36,199,901 
			 Winchester 16,059,152 14,955,540 15,657,238 
			 Woodhill 31,002,853 31,951,935 32,723,769 
			 Wormwood Scrubs 28,499,529 28,197,614 27,951,482 
		
	
	
		
			 Ford 8,317,316 8,705,446 8,612,013 
			 Hollesley Bay 7,135,000 7,044,053 6,934,500 
			 Kirkham 13,211,374 13,885,548 13,515,299 
			 Leyhill 10,854,610 10,422,190 10,400,365 
			 North Sea Camp 6,165,873 6,429,962 5,908,156 
			 Sudbury 8,750,370 9,030,115 9,111,329 
			 Thorn Cross 9,363,231 8,983,400 8,766,128 
			 Blantyre House 3,122,291 3,612,391 3,081,756 
			 Dover 7,534,810 n/a n/a 
			 Drake Hall 8,146,405 8,357,364 8,209,835 
			 Haslar 3,687,687 n/a n/a 
			 Kirklevington 4,760,283 5,582,764 5,810,431 
			 Latchmere House 4,336,427 4,753,809 4,636,863 
			 Morton Hall 8,564,168 8,732,022 8,625,373 
			 Hewell Orange cluster 10,533,476 29,234,190 28,445,145 
			 Isle of Sheppey cluster 46,745,807 44,942,798 50,732,398 
			 Isle of Wight cluster n/a 40,123,299 39,820,487 
			 Peterborough(1) 30,355,588 32,410,756 31,292,633 
			 n/a: Not applicable. (1) Privately run prisons. Notes:  1. Financial data for Elmley, Standford Hill and Swaleside are reported under the Isle of Sheppey cluster. Similarly, data for Parkhurst, Camphill and Albany are reported under the Isle of Wight cluster.  2. For 2007-08 financial data for Hewell cluster is reported for Brockhill and Hewell Grange. For 2008-09 and 2009-10, Hewell cluster includes Brockhill, Hewell Grange and Blakenhurst.  3. Dover and Haslar are now Immigration Removal Centres operating under Detention Centre Rules 2001.  4. Lindholme is a split site, part Category C Training Prison and part Immigration Detention Centre.  5. Bure Prison: New Prison.

Prisons: Manpower

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many (a) principal officers, (b) senior officers, (c) prison officers and (d) operational support grades were employed in each prison on 31 March in each of the last 10 years;
	(2)  how many (a) senior operational managers, (b) operational managers and (c) administrators were employed in each prison on 31 March in each of the last 10 years.

Crispin Blunt: Information on the number of principal officers, senior officers, prison officers, operational support grades, senior operational managers, operational managers and administrators employed at prison establishments within the National Offender Management Service on 31 March in each year since 2001 have been placed in the House Library. There are other staff working in establishments who do not fall into any of these categories.
	Information in respect of contracted establishments is provided by individual contractors. Grading structures may vary.

Probate Law

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will consider the merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to amend probate law to allow annuities on policies written in joint names to automatically continue making payments to the surviving recipient following the death of one of the named policyholders.

Jonathan Djanogly: When an annuity policy is taken out in joint names, the terms of the policy will govern whether the annuity will continue to be paid following the death of the one of the joint policyholders. We have no plans to change the law to restrict this flexibility.

TREASURY

Bank Services

Jonathan Evans: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what steps he plans to take to enable customers to change current accounts; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what plans he has to promote competition in the banking sector; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what assessment he has made of the capacity of the market for personal current accounts to sustain new entrants; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Hoban: The Government established an Independent Commission on Banking to examine a range of issues, including competition in the retail banking and personal current account markets. The Government welcome the progress that the commission has made and look forward to receiving its final report in September 2011.

Banks

Christopher Leslie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the anticipated yield would be for the Exchequer if the bank levy allowance of non-chargeable equity and liabilities were set at £10 billion with a threshold triggering the application of the levy remaining at £20 billion.

Mark Hoban: The impact on bank levy yield of such a change would be dependent upon the behavioural response of the levy payers, so it is not possible to assess the total yield.
	If the bank levy allowance of non-chargeable equity and liabilities was set at £10 billion with a threshold triggering the application of the levy remaining at £20 billion, a bank crossing the threshold would face an immediate tax charge of between £3.75 million and £7.5 million on the current rates of the bank levy. However, the exact charge on an individual institution would depend on the proportion of their taxable liabilities that were subject to the full and half rates for the levy.
	As part of the consultation on the design of the levy, respondents were generally of the view that a threshold would create potent incentives for banks around the margin to structure their business in certain ways, or disincentives to grow, in order to avoid crossing the threshold. Indeed some argued that a threshold would probably not achieve any higher yield than an allowance because of these effects with consequent impact on both economic activity and other tax receipts, such as corporation tax.
	The Government's decision to set an allowance of £20 billion instead of a £20 billion threshold did not alter the overall expected levy yield, as the levy rates were determined after such design details were finalised.

Banks: Iceland

John Mann: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had with his Icelandic counterparts on banking since 8 May 2010.

Mark Hoban: Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations, overseas governments and ministries as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings.

Banks: Loans

Alistair Darling: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the total monetary value of loans written off by British banks in (a) 2008, (b) 2009, (c) 2010 and (d) 2011.

Mark Hoban: The information requested is not held by HM Treasury.

BCCI

Alistair Darling: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish Part 2 of Lord Bingham's findings into the collapse of BCCI having redacted those parts which would identify individuals who submitted evidence in confidence.

Mark Hoban: holding answer 15 March 2011
	Consideration is currently being given to the case for publishing those parts of the Bingham report that were not published in 1992. Full account will be given to the public interest in disclosure and the period of time that has elapsed since the report was compiled as well as the other relevant principles including the effect on international relations, commercial interests and the disclosure of personal data. An announcement will be made to Parliament shortly.

Business: Government Assistance

Gordon Banks: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much he estimates the Exchequer has received as a result of the two per cent. premium charged to companies awarded supported lending via the Enterprise Finance Guarantee scheme in each year since its introduction.

Mark Prisk: I have been asked to reply.
	Premium income of £68.9 million is forecast to be received over the lifetime of loans guaranteed between January 2009 and March 2011.
	In 2010-11 the forecast for cash received was £17.7 million.
	In 2009-10 the forecast for cash received was £8.1 million.
	In 2008-09 the forecast for cash received was £0.2 million.
	This forecast takes account of the 25% discount for all premiums collected in 2009.

Charitable Donations: Inheritance Tax

David Hanson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the likely change in the level of charitable donations as a result of the reduction in the level of inheritance tax on donations in each year from 2012-13 to 2015-16;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the cost to the Exchequer of the reduction in the inheritance tax rate for charitable donations in each year to 2016.

Justine Greening: The likely change in the level of charitable donations as a result of the reduced rate of inheritance tax where 10% or more of the net estate is donated to charity is estimated to be:
	
		
			  Change in the level of charitable donations (£ million) 
			 2012-13 15 
			 2013-14 65 
			 2014-15 120 
			 2015-16 175 
		
	
	The cost to the Exchequer of the reduced rate of inheritance tax where 10% or more of the net estate is donated to charity in each year to 2016 is published in Table 2.1 of the Budget 2011 document. This is available from the HMT website at:
	http://cdn.hm-treasury.gov.uk/2011budget_complete.pdf

Excise Duties: Fuel

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the extent to which the reduction in fuel duty announced in the 2011 Budget has been passed on to consumers.

Justine Greening: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 3 May 2011, Official Report, column 680W, to the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent (Nick Smith).

Financial services: Business

Harriett Baldwin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether his proposals concerning new domestic regulation affecting small businesses apply to rules introduced by the Financial Services Authority.

Mark Hoban: The Government have announced a moratorium exempting micro-businesses and start-ups from new domestic regulation. The moratorium will apply for three years from April 2011. The intention of the moratorium is that it will apply to new initiatives in primary and secondary legislation made by Government. The Government will be publishing guidance on the application of the moratorium in due course.
	The Financial Services Authority is an independent rule-making regulator with existing powers to make rules under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, and therefore the moratorium will not automatically apply to rules it makes under these powers. Therefore it will be for the FSA to decide whether to apply new regulation to micro-businesses.
	The FSA is clear that it has an obligation to assess the impact of its rules on business, including small businesses, and seek to make its rules proportionate. The FSA has announced in its 2011-12 business plan that, recognising the difficult economic circumstances for many firms, it is not planning any new initiatives under its Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 powers beyond those which were already under way.

Fuel Poverty

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the effect of changes to the carbon price floor on the number of households in fuel poverty in (a) 2013-14, (b) 2014-15 and (c) 2015-16.

Justine Greening: holding answer 26 April 2011
	The December 2010 consultation document “Carbon price floor: support and certainty for low-carbon investment”, included an impact assessment which set out the increase to the Government's fuel poverty baseline resulting from a £30 per tonne of carbon dioxide price floor in 2020. This can be accessed online at:
	Page 23, table 1A
	www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/consult_carbon_price_support_condoc.pdf
	The Government are committed to supporting vulnerable consumers and tackling fuel poverty. They are putting in place a range of policies in parallel to the carbon price floor to contribute towards these aims. These include introducing the Warm Home Discount to assist more of the most vulnerable households with their energy bills and introducing the Green Deal from 2012 so that households and businesses can improve their energy efficiency at no upfront cost, repaying through their savings on energy bills.

International Monetary Fund

Alistair Darling: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the monetary value is of the Government's shareholding in the International Monetary Fund; and what the value is of the shareholdings of the 30 largest shareholders.

Mark Hoban: The United Kingdom's quota share at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is currently 4.52%. This makes the UK the joint fourth highest shareholder at the fund. The monetary value of this share is 10.7385 billion Special Drawing Rights (SDR), which is equivalent to around £10.5 billion under current exchange rates.
	The total monetary value of all countries' quota shareholdings at the IMF is 237.3557 billion SDR. The values of countries' individual shareholdings are available on the IMF's website at:
	http://www.imf.org/external/np/sec/memdir/members.aspx#1

Public Expenditure

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the comparative effects of reductions in public expenditure on each devolved Administration and the total level of public expenditure in England during the comprehensive spending review period.

Danny Alexander: The Government's public expenditure plans for the devolved Administrations and for UK Government Departments were set out in the 2010 Spending Review (Cm 7942). The effects of reductions in public expenditure will depend on decisions by the devolved Administrations on how to allocate their block budgets.

Taxation: Solar Power

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the level of revenue accruing to the Exchequer from the solar power sector in the next five years.

Justine Greening: I refer the hon. Member to the answer provided by my hon. Friend the the Exechequer Secretary on 29 March 2011, Official Report, column 266W.

VAT: Imports

Anna Soubry: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to provide information for the public to ensure that people sending gifts to the UK from non-EU countries are aware of value added tax payable by the recipient in the UK.

Justine Greening: Information on import procedures including details of when import charges become payable on imported gifts is available on the HMRC and Business Link websites.
	The websites are regularly monitored and updated.

Welfare Tax Credits: Domicile

David Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people domiciled outside the UK are claiming tax credits.

Justine Greening: The information requested is not available, as domicile is not relevant (and therefore not recorded) when deciding entitlement to child and working tax credits. Instead, eligibility for tax credits depends on the claimants being present and ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom. In addition, child tax credit claimants must also have a right to reside here.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Alistair Darling: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to answer question 46704, on Lord Bingham's findings, tabled on 10 March 2011 for answer on 15 March 2011.

Mark Hoban: I have responded to the right hon. Gentleman today.

EDUCATION

CAFCASS

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Education in how many cases Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service has recommended mediation between parents in each of the last five years.

Tim Loughton: Neither CAFCASS nor this Department holds this information.

Children: Deviance and Behaviour Disorders

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what research on childhood delinquency his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated.

Nick Gibb: The Department is due to publish four research reports relating to childhood delinquency on 26 May 2011. The reports will be published on the Department's website at:
	www.education.gov.uk
	The first report is ‘Prevention and Reduction: A Review of Strategies for intervening Early to Prevent or Reduce Youth Crime and Anti-Social Behaviour’ (by the Centre for Analysis of Youth Transitions). This report provides an overview of the key characteristics of ‘what works’ to prevent or reduce crime and antisocial behaviour among children from age eight. The report will help commissioners to identify more effective early interventions to support vulnerable young people.
	The second report is ‘Monitoring and Evaluation of Intensive Intervention Projects for Young People’ (by the National Centre for Social Research). These projects were based on an intensive family support model and addressed the problematic behaviours of young people with particularly complex needs. This report presents the overall numbers of young people working with the projects, a baseline assessment of their needs and details of the progress made.
	The third report also looks at the Intensive Intervention Projects and is a qualitative evaluation by Sheffield Hallam University. This report complements the National Centre report by providing longitudinal, in-depth case studies of 15 young people who worked with the projects, including the experiences of their parents and project workers. The report also provides a brief economic evaluation of the projects, which concludes that the intensive support model appears to represent good value for money.
	The final report is ‘Understanding Vulnerable Young People: Analysis from the Longitudinal Study of Young People in England’. The report identifies young people experiencing six particular vulnerabilities at age 16 to 17, including: low attainment; teen parenthood; not being in education, employment or training; emotional health concerns; criminal activity; and substance misuse. The report explores how these issues overlap, including the related risk factors and outcomes at age 19 to 20. This research helps to estimate the potential numbers of vulnerable young people who are in most need of targeted, supportive interventions.
	In 2010 the Independent Commission for Youth Crime and Anti-Social Behaviour reported their findings in ‘Time for a Fresh Start’. Background evidence for the Commission's work, including essays from a number of international experts, was published in the book ‘A New Response to Youth Crime’, edited by David J. Smith. These studies contribute to this wider evidence base.

Children: First Aid

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will take steps to increase the number of children who are trained in cardio-pulmonary resuscitation.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 3 May 2011
	The national framework for personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education currently includes teaching primary school pupils about basic emergency procedures and where to get help; and secondary school pupils to develop the skills to cope with emergency situations that require basic first aid procedures, including, at ages 15-16, resuscitation techniques. These provide opportunities for children to learn how to act in an emergency to help others who are injured, ill, or otherwise in danger. External expert organisations such as the Red Cross and St John Ambulance support schools in teaching about first aid and dealing with emergency situations.

Children: Mental Health

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the effect of low emotional intelligence on levels of childhood delinquency.

Nick Gibb: The Department is due to publish a research report ‘Prevention and Reduction: A Review of Strategies for intervening Early to Prevent or Reduce Youth Crime and Anti-Social Behaviour’ (by the Centre for Analysis of Youth Transitions) on 26 May 2011. The report will be published on the Department's website at:
	www.education.gov.uk
	The report provides an overview of the key characteristics of ‘what works’ to prevent or reduce crime and antisocial behaviour among children from age eight. It summarises the risk factors for involvement in crime and antisocial behaviour, which include factors relating to low emotional intelligence such low empathy and impulsivity. The report also identifies related protective factors, including resilience and self-efficacy (believing that one can perform tasks successfully).
	The review concludes that counselling and skills training which aim to nurture a positive change in young people are likely to be effective. Among these, programmes employing behavioural or cognitive behavioural techniques were considered especially effective.
	In 2010, the Independent Commission for Youth Crime and Anti-Social Behaviour reported their findings in ‘Time for a Fresh Start’. Background evidence for the Commission's work, including essays from a number of international experts, was published in the book ‘A New Response to Youth Crime’, edited by David J. Smith. This study contributes to this wider evidence base.

Departmental Buildings

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the (a) name and (b) address is of each building owned by his Department; and what the estimated monetary value is of each such building.

Tim Loughton: The Department for Education owns the following properties:
	
		
			 Property name Address Value (£) 
			 Castle View House East Lane, Runcorn, WA7 2DB 7,500,000 
			 Mowden Hall Staindrop Road, Darlington, DL3 9BG 2,835,000 
			 2 St Paul's Place 125 Norfolk Street, Sheffield, S1 2FL 22,390,000 
			 Nursery Kenwood Park Road, Sheffield, S7 1NF 475,000 
		
	
	Castle View House Runcorn, Mowden Hall Darlington and the Nursery in Sheffield are all freehold properties. The Department owns the property at 2 St. Paul's Place but not the land. This is held on a long-term ground lease which runs until September 2259. The Nursery is operated by the company Bright Horizons for use by the staff of Government Departments based in Sheffield.

Departmental Procurement

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 5 April 2011, Official Report, columns 767-8W, on departmental procurement, which officials took part in the appointment of members of the expert panel; and who was responsible for the negotiating process to determine the monetary value of the contract for the expert panel.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 28 April 2011
	The process to appoint individuals to the National Curriculum Review Expert Panel was managed by officials working within the Department’s National Curriculum Review Division. Those officials also led the negotiating process to determine the monetary value of the contracts through which we have engaged the members of the Expert Panel.

Departmental Work Experience

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what advice his Department provides to those wishing to (a) work as an intern, (b) undertake a work experience placement and (c) work as a volunteer in his Department.

Tim Loughton: For work experience opportunities, the Department advises year 10-11 schoolchildren to apply via the local Education Business Partnership located near to one of the Department's buildings. Undergraduate students can approach the Department direct to request a work placement opportunity. For internships, the Department advises university students to apply to the Cabinet Office who manage the process and allocate interns to Government Departments via a bidding process.
	Teams and managers responsible for a work experience student or an intern are supported by Human Resources (who manage the process) and via guidance held electronically on the Department's intranet.
	The Department actively encourages its staff to volunteer and provides a range of advice and ideas through a dedicated volunteering page on the Department's intranet. Volunteering is used as a way to support staff development within the Department's performance management process. The Department is promoting a series of “Big Society” Roadshows during May-June that will encourage staff to ask questions and help them to learn more about the volunteering opportunities available to them.

Departmental Work Experience

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many students from (a) the UK and (b) Bassetlaw constituency have been offered internships in his Department since 8 May 2010.

Tim Loughton: Since 8 May 2010, the Department has taken 10 students on to its internship scheme. No students from the Bassetlaw constituency have been offered internships in that time.
	All students undertaking an internship with the Department will have met the nationality criteria. Further information can be found on the civil service website:
	http://faststream.civilservice.gov.uk/Nationality-and-Immigration/UK-Nationals--British-Citizens/

Education: Mental Health

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment his Department has made of the promotion and teaching of emotional intelligence in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools.

Nick Gibb: The Department has a limited amount of evidence on this issue from evaluations of the Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning (SEAL) programme. This programme was promoted by the then Department for Children, Schools and Families to support the development of children's emotional intelligence. The coalition Government wants to place more trust in school staff to drive improvement and exercise their professional judgment over which approach they adopt and has therefore ceased promoting this particular programme.
	A national evaluation of SEAL in secondary schools conducted by Manchester University, published by the Department in October 2010, found that SEAL failed to impact significantly upon pupils' social and emotional skills, general mental health difficulties, pro-social behaviour or behaviour problems. The evaluation can be accessed at:
	https://www.education.gov.uk/publications/standard/publicationDetail/Page1/DFE-RR049
	An evaluation of primary SEAL published in 2008, focusing on small group work, found mixed evidence for the effectiveness of the small group work. The review can be accessed at:
	https://www.education.gov.uk/publications/standard/publicationDetail/Page1/DCSF-RB064

Further Education: Free School Meals

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many students in (a) sixth form colleges and (b) further education colleges are in receipt of free school meals.

Nick Gibb: Free school meals are not available to students attending sixth form colleges or further education colleges.

Local Authorities

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Education which local authorities have been subject to a partial or full intervention since 1997.

Tim Loughton: The Department for Education’s records show that, since 1997, the Secretary of State for Education has issued directions, using powers in section 497A of the Education Act 1996, to the following local authorities: Bradford, Cornwall, Doncaster, Essex, Hackney, Haringey, Isles of Scilly, Islington, Leeds, Milton Keynes, Southwark, Stoke-on-Trent, Swindon, Walsall, Waltham Forest and Wokingham.
	Since 2008, Ministers have issued Improvement Notices to the following additional authorities: Birmingham, Calderdale, Cheshire West and Chester, Gloucestershire, Kent, Leeds, Leicester City, Nottinghamshire Peterborough, Rotherham, Sandwell, Salford, Surrey, Torbay, Warrington, West Sussex and Worcestershire.
	Other authorities have been subject to less formal performance improvement engagement with the Department, which has sometimes been described as intervention, and which has included enhanced monitoring, challenge and support.

Members: Correspondence

David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  when he plans to respond to the letter of 9 March 2011 from the hon. Member for Walsall North (Mr Winnick), which was transferred from the Treasury, reference 2011/0026547;
	(2)  when the he plans to respond to the letter of 5 April 2011 from the hon. Member for Walsall North (Mr Winnick) regarding a constituent.

Tim Loughton: holding answer 3 May 2011
	The hon. Member for Walsall North's letters of 9 March and 5 April were responded to on 27 April 2011. Please accept my apologies for the delay in responding to the letter from 9 March.

Music: Education

Ben Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will press local authorities to (a) implement the recommendations of the Henley Review of music education and (b) maintain support for music services at current levels.

Nick Gibb: Local authorities have a lead role in local music education delivering high quality opportunities to children and young people. They will be directly funded to undertake this role for 2011-12. They, along with others, will be well placed to lead local approaches to the more coherent and accountable local delivery of music education that Mr Henley called for in his review, such as by creating Music Education Hubs.
	We shall be setting out our detailed plans later this year in a National Plan for Music Education. This will include the role we expect LAs to play in the provision of music education in their area.

Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education which external (a) organisations and (b) individuals are contributing to his Department's review of personal, social, health and economic education.

Nick Gibb: Further details of the review of personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education will be announced shortly. We intend to publicise details of the organisations and individuals that have contributed to the review at the end of the process.

Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education by what mechanism his Department plans to ensure that the views of young people are taken into consideration during its review of personal, social, health and economic education.

Nick Gibb: Further details of the review of personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education will be announced shortly. At that stage, we intend to set out how the views of young people are to be taken into consideration during the review.

Schools: Libraries

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he plans to take to implement the recommendations of the School Library Commission report “School Libraries: A Plan for Improvement”.

Nick Gibb: I refer the hon. Member to the reply which I gave on 14 October 2010, Official Report, column 379W, to the hon. Member for Colchester (Bob Russell).
	The Commission’s report was published last September.
	While the provision of a school library is not compulsory, a good school library is a valuable resource for pupils and teachers. The Government therefore welcomed last year’s report from the Commission, set up by the National Literacy Trust and Museums, Libraries and Archives, “School Libraries: A Plan for Improvement”, on the future role for school libraries and schools’ library services.
	The Department agrees that good school libraries and school library services make an important contribution to children’s literacy, and that schools are well placed to identify what provision best meets their educational needs.

Teach First: Bristol

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether he has had any discussions with Teach First about operations in Bristol.

Nick Gibb: The possibility of Teach First moving to Bristol, as part of expansion to the South West, has been discussed in the past at departmental level. Teach First is developing proposals for its expansion, as agreed by the Secretary of State for Education in a letter to its chief executive in March this year, which will be submitted to the Department in due course.

Teenage Pregnancy

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what discussions Ministers and officials in his Department have had with (a) local authorities and (b) sexual health charities prior to the decision to include funding for teenage pregnancy services within the early intervention grant.

Sarah Teather: The Department for Education has regular discussions with local authority representative bodies and did so during the development of the early intervention grant (EIG).
	There were no specific discussions with sexual health charities prior to the creation of the EIG. However, my officials and I have had regular discussions about teenage pregnancy policy through meetings with the Teenage Pregnancy Independent Advisory Group and the Teenage Pregnancy Unit forum for non-statutory organisations.
	The early intervention grant is an unringfenced and unhypothecated funding stream that gives local authorities greater flexibility to target resources strategically and intervene early to improve outcomes for children, young people and families. The early intervention grant provides funding for teenage pregnancy and gives areas flexibility to coordinate their efforts in a way that meets local need.

Teenage Pregnancy

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of girls aged between 13 and 19 years and (a) in care and (b) not in care gave birth in each region in each of the last 10 years.

Tim Loughton: Information on the number and percentage of looked after girls in each region aged between 13 and 19 who are mothers, for the years 2005 to 2010, is included in table 1 as follows. The earliest year for which this information is available is 2005.
	
		
			 Table 1: Number and percentage of girls in care aged between 13 and 19 who were mothers during the years ending 31 March 2005 to 2010  (1,2,3,4)  . Coverage: England 
			 Number and percentages 
			  Number of girls in care aged between 13 and 19 looked after during the year ending 31 March 2005 to 2010 
			  2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 
			 All children 11,800 11,900 11,800 11,500 11,500 12,100 
			 North East 550 520 580 580 610 630 
			 North West 1,800 1,900 1,900 1,800 1,900 1,900 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 1,200 1,200 1,200 1,200 1,100 1,100 
			 East Midlands 670 690 700 690 710 750 
			 West Midlands 1,200 1,300 1,300 1,300 1,400 1,400 
			 East of England 1,000 1,000 1,100 1,100 1,100 1,300 
			 Inner London 1,400 1,300 1,300 1,100 1,100 1,200 
			 Outer London 1,400 1,400 1,300 1,200 1,200 1,200 
			 South East 1,500 1,500 1,500 1,500 1,500 1,500 
			 South West 1,000 950 930 930 950 1,070 
		
	
	
		
			 Number and percentages 
			  Number of girls in care aged between 13 and 19 who were mothers during the year ending 31 March 2005 to 2010 
			  2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 
			 All children 290 300 360 320 350 350 
			 North East 10 10 10 20 20 30 
			 North West 40 40 40 40 40 40 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 30 40 40 40 40 40 
			 East Midlands 10 20 30 20 20 20 
			 West Midlands 30 20 30 30 30 30 
			 East of England 10 20 30 20 30 30 
			 Inner London 70 60 70 60 70 70 
			 Outer London 50 50 50 50 40 50 
			 South East 20 30 30 30 50 40 
			 South West 20 20 20 20 20 20 
		
	
	
		
			 Number and percentage 
			  Percentage of girls in care aged between 13 and 19 who were mothers during the year ending 31 March 2005 to 2010 
			  2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 
			 All children 3 3 3 3 3 3 
			 North East 2 2 2 3 3 4 
			 North West 2 2 2 2 2 2 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 2 3 3 3 4 3 
			 East Midlands 2 2 4 3 3 3 
			 West Midlands 2 2 2 2 2 2 
			 East of England 1 2 2 2 2 2 
			 Inner London 5 4 6 5 6 5 
		
	
	
		
			 Outer London 4 3 4 4 3 4 
			 South East 1 2 2 2 3 3 
			 South West 2 2 2 2 2 2 
			 (1) Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 100 if they exceed 1,000, and to the nearest 10 otherwise. (2) Percentages have been rounded to the nearest whole number. (3) Figures exclude children looked after under an agreed series of short-term placements. (4) Historical data may differ from older publications. This is mainly due to the implementation of amendments and corrections sent by some local authorities after the publication date of previous materials. 
		
	
	Information on the percentage of girls in each region not in care who were mothers is not available. A national estimate for all girls aged 14 to 19 who were mothers has been provided by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), this is shown in table 2 as follows. Please note that a regional breakdown or comparable information for girls aged 13 to 19 is not available.
	
		
			 Table 2 : Estimated women and mothers aged 14 to 19, England and Wales, 2005-09 
			  2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 
			 Female population aged 14 to 19 inclusive (from ONS mid-year population estimates) 2,045,590 2,049,770 2,050,620 2,039,520 2,024,420 
			 Estimated number of women aged 14 to 19 who have had at least one live birth 45,600 44,330 44,150 43,130 42,630 
			 Percentage of women aged 14 to 19 who have had at least one live birth 2.2 2.2 2.2 2.1 2.1 
			 Notes: 1. Estimates of the number of women who have had at least one live birth are from an ONS birth order model that combines data from birth registrations with survey data on fertility histories to estimate birth order, and then combines these with population estimates to produce the female population by parity. 2. The percentage of women in a particular age group who have had at least one live birth (ie are mothers) is not the same as a birth rate for that age group, which would show the proportion of women who give birth in a specific calendar year. 3. Because the percentage of women with at least one birth increases with age, any comparison of the figures above with figures for females in care may be affected if the female population in care aged 14-19 has a different age structure form the overall female population aged 14-19. 4. Estimates have been rounded to the nearest 10. Source: Fertility and Family Analysis Unit, Office for National Statistics

HEALTH

Accident and Emergency Departments

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the pilot studies on accident and emergency and urgent care centre nomenclature in (a) East Lancashire, (b) Manchester and (c) Salisbury were completed; and when the results of those studies were referred to him.

Simon Burns: The work being carried out by NHS North West and NHS South West on nomenclature for urgent and emergency care services has not yet been completed.

Accident and Emergency Departments

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what proportion of 111 calls led to admission to accident and emergency departments in County Durham in the latest period for which figures are available;
	(2)  what proportion of 111 calls have led to the despatch of an ambulance in the latest period for which figures are available;
	(3)  how many (a) 111 calls and (b) 999 calls to ambulance services have been made from County Durham in the last 12 months.

Simon Burns: There is no direct information on this. However, as part of their evaluation of the four national health service 111 pilot sites, the university of Sheffield will shortly publish their interim report. A copy will be made available in the Library. This will contain data on the proportion of people who call NHS 111 who are recommended to attend an accident and emergency department, the proportion of people who call NHS 111 for whom an ambulance is dispatched and the total number of calls to NHS 111.

Antidepressants

Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many prescriptions for (a) individual benzodiazepine drugs and (b) anti-depressants were dispensed by the NHS in 2010.

Simon Burns: The information requested is shown in the following tables:
	
		
			 Table 1:   N  umber of benzodiazepine prescription items written in the United Kingdom and dispensed in the community in England in the year 2010, as classified as hypnotics and anxiolytics in British National Formulary (BNF)   s  ection 4.1.1 and 4.1.2 
			 BNF chemical name Prescription items (  T  housand) 
			 Alprazolam (1)— 
			 Chlordiazepoxide Hydrochloride 213.9 
			 Diazepam 5,148.4 
			 Flurazepam Hydrochloride (1)— 
			 Loprazolam Mesilate 88.6 
			 Lorazepam 968.3 
			 Lormetazepam 60.5 
			 Nitrazepam 1,035.2 
			 Oxazepam 164.8 
		
	
	
		
			 Temazepam 2,814.0 
			 Total for BNF Section 4.1 10,493.7 
			 (1) Less than 50 prescription items dispensed Source: Prescription Cost Analysis (PCA) system 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2:   N  umber of benzodiazepine prescription items written in the UK and dispensed in the community in England in the year 2010, as classified as antiepileptic drugs in British National Formulary (BNF) section 4.8.1 
			 BNF chemical name Prescriptions items (  T  housand) 
			 Clobazam 185.8 
			 Clonazepam 629.1 
			 Midazolam 39.1 
			 Midazolam Hydrochloride(1) 0.3 
			 Total for BNF Section 4.8 854.3 
			 (1) Oromucosal Hydrochloride pre-filled syringes—a new classification from the second quarter of 2010. Source: PCA system 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 3:   N  umber of benzodiazepine prescription items written in the UK and dispensed in the community in England in the year 2010, as classified as anaesthesia drugs in British National Formulary (BNF) section 15.1.4 
			 BNF chemical name Prescription items (  T  housand) 
			 Midazolam Hydrochloride 83.1 
			 Total for BNF Section 15.1 83.1 
			 Source: PCA system 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 4:   N  umber of antidepressant prescription items written in the UK and dispensed in the community in England in the year 2010, as classified as antidepressant drugs in British National Formulary (BNF) section 4.3 
			 BNF chemical name Number of items (  T  housand) 
			 Antidepressant drugs 42,788.0 
			 Total for BNF Section 4.3 42,788.0 
			 Source: PCA system

Childbirth: Overseas Students

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people who entered the UK on student visas gave birth in NHS hospitals in England in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Anne Milton: This information is not collected by the Department.

Community Nurses: Worcestershire

Harriett Baldwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many district nurses have been employed at each grade in Worcestershire in each of the last five years.

Anne Milton: This information is not available in the format requested.
	The number of district nurses in the Worcestershire primary care trust (PCT) area, as at 30 September, for each of the last five years is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 District nurse 1  (st)   level 
			  Headcount 
			 2006 114 
			 2007 108 
			 2008 109 
			 2009 93 
			 2010 101 
			 Notes:  1. Only 1st level (registered) district nurses have been reported as working in the Worcestershire PCT area from 2006-10; there have been no 2nd level (enrolled) district nurses reported in this area over this time. Nationally, 2nd level nurses are no longer trained and most 2nd level nurses have undertaken further training to become 1st level qualified.  2. The new headcount methodology for 2010 data is not fully comparable with previous years' data due to improvements that make it a more stringent count of absolute staff numbers.  Source:  The NHS Information Centre for health and social care.

Emergency Calls

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what training and qualifications are required of operators receiving (a) 111 calls and (b) 999 calls.

Simon Burns: The organisation, operation and training requirements for NHS 111 advisers and ambulance control room staff are for the national health service to manage locally, and will depend on the clinical decision support systems they choose to use. However, for current NHS 111 pilots, the training of the NHS 111 advisers is of the same standard and rigour as that received by ambulance control room staff.

Emergency Calls

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average duration of a (a) 111 call and (b) 999 call to an ambulance service was in the latest period for which figures are available.

Simon Burns: Data for March 2011 show that the average length of an NHS 111 episode was nine minutes. An NHS 111 episode is the total time taken to resolve the caller’s query. This will include any transfer to a nurse or other clinician for self-care advice for less urgent calls, or for an emergency call may include the call-handler staying on the line until the arrival of the ambulance to offer first aid advice and reassurance.
	Data on the average length of a 999 call to an ambulance service are not held centrally.

Emergency Calls

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of (a) 111 calls and (b) 999 calls to ambulance services were categorised at urgency level (i) A, (ii) B and (iii) C in the latest period for which figures are available.

Simon Burns: The information requested is not separately available for 111 calls, but is included in the overall figures for calls to the ambulance service.
	Almost 8 million emergency calls were made to the ambulance service in 2009-10, of which 2.24 million were Category A, 3.1 million were Category B and 2.51 million were Category C. Annual statistical information for ambulance services will be published by the NHS Information Centre in June 2011.

Emergency Calls

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of (a) 111 calls and (b) 999 calls to ambulance services were found to have been wrongly categorised in the latest period for which figures are available.

Simon Burns: This information is not held centrally.
	The Department expects call handling of all emergency calls received by NHS 111 and the ambulance service to be effective and ensure that calls are prioritised accurately and that the most appropriate response is awarded based on the information the call handlers receive.

Emergency Calls

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance his Department issues on the categorisation of (a) 111 calls and (b) 999 calls to ambulance services from women reporting (i) childbirth and (ii) miscarriages and other problems of late pregnancy.

Simon Burns: The Department has not issued specific guidance on the categorisation of 111 and 999 calls to the ambulance service from women reporting childbirth, miscarriages and other problems of late pregnancy.
	It is for the national health service 111 and ambulance services locally to determine which call handling system they use in order to provide safe categorisation of 111 and 999 calls received and ensure the most clinically appropriate response.

General Practitioners

Richard Drax: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether GP consortia or GP practices are to be fundholders under his proposed NHS reforms.

Simon Burns: General practitioner (GP) consortia and GP practices will not be fundholders. While fundholding and our proposals for GP-led commissioning consortia share certain principles, they differ greatly in detail. The intention is for GP consortia to be corporate statutory bodies established by statute to have the function of commissioning health services in accordance with the National Health Service Act 2006 as amended by the Bill. The consortium would be a legal body in its own right, separate from individual GP practices.

General Practitioners

Richard Drax: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether practices will be expected to undertake weekend callouts as part of his proposed NHS reforms.

Simon Burns: The Government plan to put general practitioners (GPs) and other health professionals in charge of commissioning urgent care services including out-of-hours care. We believe that empowering GPs and other health professionals in this way will achieve better and more patient-focused services. This is not the same as requiring GP practices to provide those services themselves.

General Practitioners

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent progress his Department has made in establishing GP commissioning consortia in Hendon constituency and elsewhere in London.

Simon Burns: The Department has established a rolling programme of pathfinders to test the different elements involved in general practitioner (GP) led commissioning and to enable emerging commissioning consortia to get more rapidly involved in current commissioning decisions.
	Hendon is covered by the Barnet GP Commissioning Consortium, which has recently been awarded pathfinder status. There are now 37 pathfinders in London covering 86% of the capital’s population.

General Practitioners

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research studies he has reviewed which (a) indicate and (b) do not indicate a link between the introduction of GP commissioning consortia and an improvement in the ability of patients to choose healthcare providers.

Simon Burns: As general practitioner (GP) commissioning consortia have yet to be established, research studies do not exist on the link between commissioning consortia and patient choice. However, the “Commissioning for patients (GP commissioning and the NHS Commissioning Board)” impact assessment outlines the evidence base for GP-led commissioning and improvements to access and choice.
	Patients currently have a right to choose their health care provider when referred for a first out-patient appointment with a consultant-led team. We are committed to extending the opportunities for choice of provider and treatment.

General Practitioners

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to page 8 of the Health and Social Care Bill impact assessment, what the evidential basis is for his Department's conclusion that the establishment of GP consortia will improve access and choice; and what effects he expects such reforms to have on (a) health outcomes and (b) value for money.

Simon Burns: The “Commissioning for patients (General Practitioner (GP) commissioning and the NHS Commissioning Board)” impact assessment outlined the evidence base for GP-led commissioning. Improvements in value for money and outcomes are expected to be driven by better alignment of clinical and financial incentives, and higher levels of clinical engagement that will lead to more responsive care, coordination and care planning, delivering clinically appropriate care closer to home.
	The impact assessment also outlines the evidence base for improving access and choice. GPs play a pivotal role in helping to coordinate national health service care and in partnership with other health care professionals are best placed to understand the health needs of local populations.
	Patients currently have a right to choose their health care provider when referred for a first outpatient appointment with a consultant-led team. We are committed to extending the opportunities for choice of provider and treatment.
	The Health and Social Care Bill places a duty on consortia to reduce inequalities in access to health care and health care outcomes, promote patient and carer involvement in decisions about them and enable patients to make choices about aspects of their health care.
	The changes to commissioning are estimated to save £10.6 billion over 10 years.

General Practitioners

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps he plans to take to mitigate any risk of wider health inequalities arising from the implementation of GP commissioning;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the potential effects of his proposals for GP commissioning on health inequalities.

Simon Burns: The Health and Social Care Bill proposes a new legal duty on health inequalities for the national health service. Subject to parliamentary approval, the NHS Commissioning Board and commissioning consortia must have regard to reducing inequalities in access to, and outcomes of, health care.
	The NHS Outcomes Framework sets out the outcomes and corresponding indicators that, from 2012-13, will be used to hold the NHS Commissioning Board to account for the outcomes it delivers through commissioning health services. One of the underpinning principles when developing this framework has been the need to reduce inequalities in health outcomes. We have committed to work to improve data collections so that more indicators in the framework can be disaggregated by inequalities dimensions, socio-economic group and area deprivation, to support NHS action on reducing health inequalities.
	The NHS Commissioning Board will draw on the national outcome goals in the Outcomes Framework to develop a Commissioning Outcomes Framework, to help hold commissioning consortia to account for effective commissioning and to promote improvements in quality.
	We are also proposing that local authorities and their partner general practitioner commissioning consortia develop joint health and wellbeing strategies, drawing on Joint Strategic Needs Assessments. These assessments look in detail at local health inequalities and are a key tool for commissioners to use as a basis for understanding need across their area and between different groups within the local population.

General Practitioners

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what account he plans to take of the conclusions of the practice-based commissioning group and independent leads survey: wave 3 in determining any amendments to the Health and Social Care Bill he plans to bring forward.

Simon Burns: The impact assessment that accompanies the Health and Social Care Bill sets out the Government's assessment of the available evidence on practice-based commissioning and includes reflections on responses from the practice-based commissioning survey.
	The Government are taking advantage of the natural break in the passage of the Health and Social Care Bill to pause, listen, reflect and improve on the legislation, bringing together views from patients, the public, national health service staff and wider stakeholders. As part of the NHS Listening Exercise, the NHS Future Forum has been established to provide an independent ear, and will feed back what they hear in a report to the Government at the end of May.
	The Government will reflect on the report from the forum, representations from other stakeholders and all available evidence in considering improvements to the Bill.

General Practitioners

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make an assessment of the optimum size of a GP commissioning consortium necessary to ensure (a) value for money and (b) health equality.

Simon Burns: The history of national health service commissioning has shown that there is no “right” size for a commissioning organisation. Therefore, we will allow for smaller consortia to collaborate with other consortia where large scale matters, and will allow larger consortia to break down into smaller localities where this makes more sense. The Health and Social Care Bill will provide for consortia boundaries to flex rather than be fixed.
	In relation to size, a key criterion for the NHS Commissioning Board in authorising consortia will be to satisfy itself that prospective consortia have made appropriate arrangements to ensure they can discharge their functions and that they have an appropriate area (for example, for the purposes of their duties in relation to accident and emergency services).

General Practitioners

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make an assessment of the ability of primary care trusts to collect and analyse data on health outcomes; and if he will assess the potential effects of the introduction of GP commissioning on the collection and analysis of such data.

Simon Burns: Health outcomes data are readily available from a wide variety of sources that primary care trusts can and do access and these will continue to be available under general practitioner (GP) commissioning. In addition, under the proposals for GP commissioning, there will be a duty to improve continuously the quality of services and outcomes for patients. GPs have indicated support for using information to help them do this.
	The NHS Outcomes Framework published in December 2010 provides the framework for the development of clinical indicators. A programme of work is under way to analyse information requirements around outcome measures against the data that are currently collected.

General Practitioners

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether public health consultants working with GP commissioning consortia will be funded from (a) consortia budgets and (b) ring-fenced local authority public health budgets.

Simon Burns: Once responsibilities and funding transfer to general practitioner commissioning consortia and local authorities from 2013, they will be responsible for deciding how their budgets are spent.
	A consultation on the functions and services to be funded from the public health budget (“Healthy Lives, Healthy People: consultation on the funding and commissioning routes for public health”) closed on 31 March and responses are now being considered. The consultation posed questions on whether any particular services should be mandatory for local authorities to provide or commission, and what essential conditions should be placed on the ring-fenced grant to ensure the successful transition of responsibility for public health to local authorities. The Department will formally respond to the consultation shortly, setting out the detail of the split of responsibilities.
	The new public health responsibilities of local authorities will be funded through public health ring-fenced grants; this includes the costs of employing directors of public health and their teams.

General Practitioners

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he is taking steps to ensure that GP practices do not require their patients to use telephone numbers that are more expensive to call than geographic numbers, as stipulated in the Standard General Medical Services contract, section 29b.

Simon Burns: The Department issued guidance and directions to the national health service on 21 December 2009 which stated that NHS bodies and general practitioner practices should not enter into new, renew, or extend, contracts for telephone services unless they can be satisfied that patients will not pay more than they would to make equivalent calls to a geographical number.
	It is the responsibility of primary care trusts to ensure that local practices are compliant with the directions and guidance.

Health Education

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what mechanisms he plans to put in place for the training of NHS staff to fulfil the commitment in his Department's Public Health White paper to encourage people to take responsibility for their health; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: In the Public Health White Paper “Healthy Lives, Healthy People”, it was announced that a detailed workforce strategy to support public health is to be developed by autumn 2011, working with representative organisations. Informed by the views of people on the frontline of public health delivery it will set out how a supply of highly trained and motivated staff, with the appropriate skills for understanding the range of public health interventions, providing public health advice and commissioning the services communities require, can be sustained and grown, as needed.

Health Education

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  with reference to his Department's Public Health White Paper, what steps he plans to take to encourage the public to take personal responsibility for their health; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  with reference to his Department's document, Healthy Lives, Healthy People, paragraphs 2 and 9d, what steps he plans to take to achieve the commitment to build people's self-esteem, confidence and personal responsibility right from infancy; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: The White Paper, “Healthy Lives, Healthy People: Our strategy for public health” in England, sets out the Government's vision for public health, including the creation of a new public health service—Public Health England—with a renewed focus on disease prevention, health protection and improvement.
	The Government have reinforced their commitment to tackling the preventable causes of ill-health by announcing their intention to give local authorities ring-fenced public health budgets to improve the health of their local population. A new health premium will reward progress on specific public health outcomes.
	The Government are taking a number of actions in order to provide the public with the information and support they need to make healthy choices and lead healthier lives. The Change4Life campaign still helps influence and shift behaviours around diet and physical activity, by giving families helpful advice on eating well and being more active. More than 1 million mothers say they have made changes as a result of the Change4Life campaign.
	The National Child Measurement Programme enables and encourages families to make healthier lifestyle choices by routinely providing parents, whose children have been weighed and measured, with feedback on their child's height, weight and body mass index centile, alongside advice on healthy eating, physical activity and local weight management services.
	The introduction of Out of Home Calorie Labelling, as one of the pledges of the Public Responsibility Deal, is also intended to empower people to make healthier choices more often, specifically when eating out.
	The Department has also been working with the four United Kingdom chief medical officers to develop revised UK-wide physical activity guidelines. These guidelines are primarily aimed at policy makers and health professionals. However as they provide information on the types and amounts of physical activity for health benefits, when incorporated into existing campaigns and messages they will help individuals to take personal responsibility for their health and well-being.
	All healthcare professionals have a responsibility to ensure that they make every contact with patients/the public count. This should include highlighting the impact of people's lifestyle choices and their health and well-being, as well as providing advice and support on how they can change these behaviours.

Health Insurance

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with the NHS Litigation Authority on the allocation of risk between the NHS and private medical insurers in respect of cerebral palsy claims.

Simon Burns: The Department has had no specific discussions with the NHS Litigation Authority on the allocation of risk in respect of cerebral palsy claims. Agreement between parties on the handling of claims is made on a case-by-case basis, taking into account the available medical evidence and opinion as well as previous rulings of the court. Where agreement cannot be reached, it would ultimately be for the court to decide.

Health Insurance

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the potential effects of changes to insurance premiums for private obstetrics, including the potential effect on NHS (a) service provision and (b) revenue.

Simon Burns: The Department has made no such assessment.

Health Services: Overseas Visitors

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department plans to take to improve the (a) administration and (b) recovery rate of outstanding liabilities from overseas visitors who use NHS services while in England; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: The Government announced on 18 March that they will amend the immigration rules to allow a person with an outstanding debt to the national health service of £1,000 or more to be refused a new visa or extension of stay until the debt is paid.
	The Government also announced that they will review the rules and practices around charging overseas visitors to the United Kingdom for NHS treatment, including establishing more effective and efficient processes across the NHS to screen for eligibility and to make and recover charges.

Health: Equality

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to increase the evidence base on the effects of commissioning models on health inequalities; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: The extent of health inequalities is well documented and measured; and the knowledge base is now sufficient to provide a basis for local, evidence-based and cost-effective interventions.
	The potential for commissioning to impact on and narrow health inequalities is significant. Commissioning will need to address differences in health status across the local population and the drivers of inequalities, and seek to improve the poor health outcomes experienced by disadvantaged groups and areas, and reduce unacceptable variations in access to and outcomes of care.
	The Health and Social Care Bill proposes a new legal duty on health inequalities for the national health service. Subject to parliamentary approval, the NHS Commissioning Board and general practitioner commissioning consortia must have regard to reducing inequalities in access to, and outcomes of, health care.

Heart Diseases: Children

Denis MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether hospital trusts were given the opportunity to correct errors of fact in Sir Ian Kennedy's review of children's cardiac surgery units.

Simon Burns: The review of children's cardiac services (Safe and Sustainable review) is being conducted by the NHS Specialised Commissioning Team. We have however been following its progress.
	Hospital trusts were given the opportunity to correct errors of fact in Sir Ian Kennedy's assessment of children's cardiac surgery units against service standards. Trusts' comments were considered by the assessment panel.

Hospitals: Infectious Diseases

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment the NHS has made of the merits of the use of copper-covered fixtures and fittings in high usage areas of hospitals in limiting the spread of MRSA and other superbugs.

Simon Burns: Studies in a national health service hospital show that copper coated fittings have lower levels of bacterial contamination than standard equivalent items. However, evidence that antimicrobial surfaces decrease health care associated infections is required before the use of copper coating could be recommended.

Mental Illness: Offenders

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what his policy is on the requirement on NHS trusts to liaise with the police and the criminal justice system only where the defendant has a diagnosis of severe mental illness; and if he will take steps to ensure comprehensive liaison between the police, criminal justice system and NHS staff in criminal cases in which the defendant has a history of mental health problems that are relevant to the investigation and which remain undiagnosed;
	(2)  what his policy is on liaison between the police and NHS staff in criminal cases in which the defendant has a history of undiagnosed mental health problems that are relevant to the investigation; and if he will take steps to ensure that all relevant mental health problems, including those that remain undiagnosed, are taken into account before a decision to seek prosecution.

Paul Burstow: We are committed to a roll-out of diversion services in all police custody suites and criminal courts by 2014. In relation to practice in police station custody suites, diversion services will look to identify and assess those offenders who present with mental health, learning disability and substance misuse issues and to ensure their health needs are met.
	Appropriate information gained from those assessments will be shared with agencies along the criminal justice pathway, to inform decisions such as case management, charging and sentencing.

Muscular Dystrophy

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress is being made by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence in establishing a guideline for Duchenne muscular dystrophy; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Burstow: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence is not currently developing a clinical guideline on Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
	The National Quality Board is working with the wider clinical community to prepare a draft version of a library of quality standard topics that will go out for public consultation later in the year.

Neuromuscular Diseases: North West England

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made by the NHS North West Specialised Commissioning Group in reviewing neuromuscular services in the region; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Burstow: The North West Specialisted Commissioning Group completed the review of neuromuscular services at the end of March 2011. The findings of the review have been circulated to all primary care trust chief executives in the North West strategic health authority area with a request that it is shared with board members and general practitioner commissioning consortia leads.

NHS: Procurement

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy is on promoting diversity in the procurement process for health care services.

Simon Burns: The Department’s guidance on procurement is set out in the “Procurement guide for commissioners of NHS-funded services”. A copy of the guidance has been placed in the Library and is available on the Department’s website at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_118218
	Commissioners of health care services, when using procurement as a means to deliver best quality for patients and value for the taxpayer, are expected to demonstrate consistency with the overarching principles of public procurement. These principles are:
	Transparency;
	Proportionality;
	Non-discrimination; and
	Equality of Treatment.

NHS: Procurement

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to increase the provision of formal qualifications for health care commissioning skills.

Simon Burns: Health care commissioning has generic and specialist elements and is multidisciplinary in nature. Individuals are recruited to ensure that commissioning can benefit from a number of professional and specialist skills, for example, finance, accountancy, procurement, programme and project management, statistical and informatics skills as well as from health care professionals from a range of disciplines, and public health communications specialists. The requirement for individuals to have formal qualifications will be reflected in job descriptions and reflected both in the recruitment processes for individuals and in terms of ongoing development for individuals.
	The National Leadership Council is also working in collaboration with the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement to offer leaders of general practitioner pathfinders and their teams appropriate development tools during the transition to the new system.

NHS: Standards

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effect on health outcomes of the World Class Commissioning assurance framework.

Simon Burns: The World Class Commissioning assurance framework assessed primary care trusts’ (PCT’s) commissioning capabilities across three elements; outcomes, competencies and governance.
	The capability of PCTs was assessed in 2009 and 2010. It was recognised that it takes time to drive tangible change in outcomes. PCTs were not formally rated against their outcomes in 2009 or 2010.
	The assurance framework has since been discontinued.

North Yorkshire and York Primary Care Trust

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost of operating the North Yorkshire and York Primary Care Trust was in the last 12 months.

Simon Burns: The cost of operating a primary care trust (PCT) can be interpreted in two ways:
	(a) the net operating costs of a PCT (i.e. their total expenditure less any miscellaneous revenue).
	(b) the running costs of the PCX (the administrative costs of running the PCT).
	The net operating cost of North Yorkshire and York Primary Care Trust in 2009-10 was £1,179 million. 2009-10 is the latest period for which figures are available.
	There is no separately identifiable figure for ‘running costs’ (interpretation (b) above) in the financial data the Department has historically collected. From 2010-11, PCTs and strategic health authorities will be required to report running costs to the Department. 2010-11 data will be available in late July.

Northwick Park Hospital: Manpower

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) medical and (b) non-medical staff were employed at Northwick Park Hospital on 1 April 2011; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: The information requested is not available. The following table shows the number of national health service staff employed at the North West London Hospitals NHS Trust as at 31 January 2011.
	
		
			 National health service hospital and community health services: National health service staff in the North West London Hospitals NHS Trust as at  31 January 2011 
			  Headcount 
			 All national health service staff 4,798 
			 Medical and dental staff 754 
			 All non-medical staff 4,044 
			 Professionally qualified clinical staff total 2,383 
			 Qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting 1,649 
			 Qualified scientific, therapeutic and technical (ST&T) staff 734 
			 Support to clinical staff total 1,269 
			 Support to doctors and nursing staff 1,005 
			 Support to ST&T staff 265 
			 NHS infrastructure support total 396 
		
	
	
		
			 Central functions 247 
			 Hotel, property and estates staff 67 
			 Managers and senior managers 82 
			 Notes: 1. January 2011 is the latest available data. 2. Headcount totals are unlikely to equal the sum of components. Further information on the headcount methodology is available in the census publication here: www.ic.nhs.uk/webfiles/publications/010_Workforce/nhsstaff0010/Census_Bulletin_March_2011_Final.pdf 3. Data Quality The NHS Information Centre for health and social care seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data but responsibility for data accuracy lies with the organisations providing the data. Methods are continually being updated to improve data quality where changes impact on figures already published. This is assessed but unless it is significant at national level figures are not changed. Impact at detailed or local level is footnoted in relevant analyses. Sources: The NHS Information Centre for health and social care monthly work force statistics—Provisional, Experimental Statistics

Respiratory Diseases: Medical Treatments

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of NHS provision of ventilation machines for patients with respiratory difficulties.

Simon Burns: The provision of ventilation machines for people with respiratory difficulties is for local determination. The Department recommended in the “Consultation on a Strategy for Services for Chronic Respiratory Disease (COPD) in England” published in February 2010 that all people with acute respiratory failure should be offered treatment with non-invasive ventilation with access to mechanical ventilation, if required.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Animal Experiments

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment she has made of the prevalence of the use of animals in the testing of household cleaning products and their ingredients; what recent discussions she has had with companies involved in the manufacture of such products to discuss the need for such testing; and if she will make a statement.

Lynne Featherstone: The number of animals used for the testing of substances used in household products in the United Kingdom is low. The Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals, published annually, record that in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 (the most recent year for which we have figures) the numbers used in this category of testing were, respectively, 234, 272, 111, 0, 1, 132 and 0. The coalition agreement includes a commitment to end the testing of household products on animals and we are working on a strategy to deliver this commitment. We have held discussions with manufacturers, contract research organisations and the European Union Institute for Health and Consumer Products in connection with this work.

Criminal Records

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether her Department's review of the portability of Criminal Records Bureau checks will address the requirement for dentists to undergo a check for each practice in which they work; and if she will make a statement.

Lynne Featherstone: Following the report of Phase 1 of the independent review of the criminal records regime, measures have been included within the Protection of Freedoms Bill to increase the portability of Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) disclosures. This will enable employers to check whether any new information has come to light since a previous disclosure was issued. The review has not looked at specific occupations, but increased portability will be available to all those who apply for enhanced CRB disclosures, including dentists.

Domestic Violence

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what amendments she plans to propose to the draft Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence in the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers.

Lynne Featherstone: The drafting process on this convention is now complete and the convention was passed for adoption by the Committee of Ministers on 7 April. No further amendments are therefore possible to the convention wording.

Domestic Violence: Police

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many specialist police officers dealing with domestic violence there were (a) on the most recent date for which figures are available and (b) in May 2010.

Lynne Featherstone: This information is not held centrally by the Home Office.
	Each of the 43 force areas have a specialist domestic violence lead responsible for informing and guiding officers handling domestic violence cases, as well as providing specialist support to victims and working in partnership with other organisations across their local area.

Prostitution: Advertising

Jack Straw: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proposals she plans to bring forward to prevent the advertisement of sexual services in the media.

Lynne Featherstone: We do not believe it is appropriate to advertise sexual services in local newspapers and welcome the guidance published on this by the Newspaper Society in recent years. An outright ban on advertising sexual services would require legislation which we do not believe would be effectively enforceable. We will look at this issue more closely and consider what more can be done to prevent advertising of sexual services in the media.